


Tame the Wild Stallion

by Predec2



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Angst, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-03
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2017-11-09 02:40:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 360,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/450358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Predec2/pseuds/Predec2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brian is a nineteen-year-old, rebellious young man who runs afoul of the law and is sent to live with an aunt and uncle he doesn't even know in a last-ditch effort to straighten out his life.  Will his experience there - and who he meets along the way - change his life for better or for worse?  Teenage Brian/Justin AU story.  *THIS STORY IS NOW COMPLETE*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Exchanging One Imprisonment for Another

__

This is a WIP, but it will be updated regularly!

 

DISCLAIMER: QAF and its characters are the sole property of Showtime and Cowlip Productions; no copyright infringement is intended.

 

BJBJBJBJBJBJBBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBJBBJBJBJBJBJBBJBJBJB

 

_Alleghany County Courthouse – Downtown Pittsburgh_

 

“Order!” was the booming cry from the uniformed bailiff as everyone in the small courtroom rose.  “The Honorable Judge Winston Harris presiding!”  The salt-and-pepper haired, tall, distinguished-looking judge emerged from his private chamber to take his seat behind the podium as the bailiff instructed the dozen or so people in attendance to be seated.

 

“The defendant will rise,” the bailiff intoned authoritatively as Brian rose to stand next to his attorney, a well-known defense lawyer that his father had secured for him.  He stood there stiffly, uncomfortable in a black suit, white shirt and black-and gray pinstriped tie as the judge critically gazed down upon his slim, tall figure, thinking how nonchalant and unconcerned the young man seemed, considering the seriousness of the crime he had pled guilty to.

 

He shook his head in disapproval over the young man’s bored look on his face as he glanced down at the plea agreement paperwork in his hands to make sure it was in order.  He wasn’t totally convinced that this was the most favorable option for this cocky-appearing kid or if he even deserved it, but if the unorthodox arrangement helped to straighten him out, perhaps it would be worth it.  From what he had read in his chambers earlier, the defendant, Brian Kinney, was highly intelligent with an I.Q. of 140 and came from a well-respected, long-established Pittsburgh family.  That hadn’t apparently kept him from taking an impromptu joyride, however, in an expensive sports car a month ago, a ride that had resulted in the vehicle being totalled.  Perhaps, though, by signing off on this agreement between the defense and prosecuting attorneys, he could manage to keep this know-it-all kid from delving into even deeper trouble.  It might be worth a shot, he thought silently; he normally was a good judge of character, though, and this young man staring back at him so defiantly didn’t seem too likely a candidate for rehabilitation. 

 

“Mr. Blackstone, you are in agreement with this plea arrangement?” he asked the assistant prosecutor as he peered down at him through his half-rimmed glasses. 

 

Mark Blackstone, the young assistant prosecutor, nodded as he glanced over at the defendant.  “Yes, Your Honor. We are in agreement.  We feel this arrangement would be in the best interests of everyone involved.  Mr. Kinney’s grandfather has agreed to provide full restitution for the damage to the plaintiff’s vehicle as a result of the theft and subsequent accident.” 

 

The judge nodded as he turned his head to eye the defendant and his defense attorney.  “Mr. Wyatt?  Your client is prepared to adhere to all the terms of this agreement?” 

 

The judge noticed a momentary expression flitter across the young man’s face that resembled annoyance or disgust before the defendant plastered a more neutral expression on his face.  He watched as the boy’s father, who was standing behind him in the courtroom, leaned over and whispered something in his son’s ear, his displeasure obvious, before the defense attorney responded, “Yes, Sir.  He is aware this will be his last chance.  I have been assured by my client’s father that he will be well supervised.”

 

“He’d better be,” the judge admonished him sternly as he stared down at the defendant standing next to the attorney.  “Young man, before I pass sentence, are you prepared to adhere to all conditions of this plea agreement as outlined by your attorney and the prosecution?”

 

Brian sighed heavily; actually he fucking _hated_ the arrangement, but he had finally been ‘persuaded’ by his father and his attorney that it beat going to jail for stealing the ‘Vette; if it hadn’t been raining at the time of the accident, he would have beaten that arrogant Simpson kid on the curve without a problem.  It had been the first drag race he had ever lost in the past two years.  Now he’d be lucky if he ever saw another four-wheeled vehicle again; where his father was forcing him to go, he’d more likely be riding on a damn _tractor_ than in a car.  His father had already told him in no uncertain terms that if he fucked again up _this_ time he didn’t care if his ass rotted in jail for the next several years or not. 

 

The judge glared at him impatiently as Brian remained stonily silent.  “I’m waiting for a reply, young man.  Do you agree to abide by the terms of this agreement or not?”

 

Brian huffed out an annoyed breath as his father jabbed him in the back.  “Yes,” he grudgingly acknowledged. as the judge's piercing eyes continued to bore into him expectantly.  He felt a harder nudge to his upper arm as Brian finally added, “Your Honor” almost as an afterthought.

 

The judge stared at Brian skeptically for a few seconds before he finally nodded.  “Very well, then.  Brian Kinney, you are being given one more chance to redeem yourself and prove that you can straighten out your life.  This is highly unusual, but due to your family’s place in this community I am approving the plea agreement as agreed upon by your attorney and the prosecutor.  The sentence previously meted out to you is hereby suspended with the understanding that you are to be placed in the temporary guardianship of your aunt and uncle in Kentucky.  This court will expect regular updates from your attorney regarding your progress over the next six months.  If I catch wind that you have engaged in any nefarious, illegal activities while in their custody during that period, the suspension of your ten-year sentence will be promptly nullified and you will serve out your full term in jail instead.  Do I make myself clear, Mr. Kinney?”

 

Brian sighed again, turning his face away from the judge temporarily so he wouldn’t notice him rolling his eyes in disapproval. 

 

Derek Wyatt, the long-standing attorney for Brian’s family, leaned over to whisper in his client’s ear.  “You’d better appear more grateful for what he’s doing for you,” he told him firmly.  “This is rare for him, trust me.  They don’t call him _the Hammer_ for nothing.”

 

Brian nodded finally as he peered up at the judge staring silently back at him from several feet away.  He sighed in resignation.  “Yes…I understand, Your Honor,” he finally said at last. 

 

The judge nodded, still unconvinced that this brash young man who had incurred several minor, juvenile scrapes with the law before committing this first-time, adult crime would actually be able to adhere to the conditions of the probation as set forth by the court.  “Very well then,” he responded curtly as he signed off on the agreement.  “Don’t screw this up, Mr. Kinney.  This will be your first – and last – chance.”  The judge pounded his worn, wooden gavel down firmly on the podium as he boomed out, “That’s all, gentlemen.  Court is adjourned.”

 

As he turned to go and the bailiff once more instructed the courtroom participants to rise, Brian tugged at the noose-like tie around his neck to loosen it, relieved at least that this part of the proceedings was over.  Somehow he suspected, though, that he was trading one sort of imprisonment for another. 

 

He turned as his father reached over the back of his chair to shake hands with the attorney.  “Good job, Derek,” Jack Kinney told him before his eyes bored into his son’s.  “I'm very grateful, even if my son _isn’t._ ”

 

Brian huffed out an annoyed breath.  “Well excuse me if I don’t kneel down and worship his expertise,” he growled.

 

“Brian Kinney, show some respect for this man!” his mother scolded him from her place at her husband's side, her voice frosty with disdain.  “Thanks to him, you were spared a jail sentence!  You should be thanking him for what he did – for what WE did,” she told him.  “Sometimes I wonder why we even bother with you.”

 

“Spare me the bullshit, Mother,” he growled back.  “We all know why you and dear Dad did what you did; you didn’t do it for me.  You did it to keep all your friends from knowing about it.” 

 

“Watch your language, Brian,” Joan Kinney spat out.  “You’re the most ungrateful child I’ve ever seen.  We should have just let you go to jail instead; it would have taught you a lesson.”

 

“Oh, but we couldn’t have that,” Brian reminded her.  “Everyone at Sunday mass would have been talking behind your back, then.”

 

“That’s enough, Brian!” Jack told him as he gripped his arm tightly and began to pull him toward the center aisle.  “Let’s go; you’ve got a lot of packing to do tonight.  You’re leaving first thing in the morning.  Your aunt and uncle will be at the bus station waiting for you when you get there.  You’d better not disappoint us, either.”

 

Brian rolled his eyes.  “I can’t wait,” he replied sarcastically.  “Did they have to empty the hay wagon out first to make room for me?”

 

“What did I tell you?” his mother replied scornfully as she turned to start walking down the center aisle ahead of them.  “He’s totally ungrateful for what we’re doing for him, Jack.”  She knew as soon as she got home she would have to take a drink; this had been one of the most humiliating and trying days she had had in a long time.  Wasn’t it bad enough that she had to live with a husband who didn’t give her any support or attention most of the time?  Now she was risking total humiliation if her friends found out about the disgraceful predicament her son was placing them in.  They had to get him out of town – quickly – before they all found out and she was totally embarrassed.  She turned to stare at her son and husband who were slowly walking behind her toward the exit; Wyatt had remained at the defense table, storing all his documents away in his briefcase as he, too, prepared to leave the courtroom.

 

“Can we please just go?” she entreated.  “This is much too public here, Jack.”

 

“Shit,” Brian muttered under his breath as his father began to propel him more forcefully toward the exit.  As they finally left the courtroom and headed for their sedan in the back parking lot, Brian suspected he was about to endure the worst summer of his life. 

 

 

 


	2. A Whole New World...But Something's Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian arrives in Kentucky, but feels like an alien from outer space...

 

_Next Day – Mid-Morning; On the Way to Lexington, KY_

Brian sighed heavily as he looked out the window of the Greyhound bus.  It was bad enough that the fucking metal monstrosity smelled like shit inside – he had decided it was kind of a dirty diaper/sweaty kind of smell.  The only way he could stand it was to keep his hand up to his nose to hide the nauseous stink that permeated the interior of the bus.  He had been on the damn thing off and on now for eight fucking hours, long enough to last through two stopovers in a couple of hickville towns along the way and endure the ‘pleasure’ of three different bus passengers sitting beside him; none of them had been worthy of a second look, let alone a quick fuck.

 

On both occasions when the bus had stopped for a short layover to pick up or drop off other passengers his first instinct had been to bolt right off the bus and escape – anywhere but the virtual prison he found himself in at the moment.  But he also knew he had only $20.00 in his pocket at the moment; an intentional maneuver by his shitfaced father who knew without any money he would be hard pressed to get too far on his own.  And besides, despite all his outward swagger when he was around others, deep down a part of him was actually afraid of being alone in a part of the country he knew nothing about; to him, once they had left the state of Pennsylvania and headed through Ohio on the way to Kentucky it was like entering another planet.  Fields and fields of nothing but grass on both sides of the interstate, with only an occasional cornfield or soybean field to break up the monotony, seemed to be the norm.  After the standard fast-food joints, hotels and gas stations along major intersections, the most exciting site on the way into Kentucky was a large flea market located near Cincinnati. 

 

He squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, trying hard to twist his torso to unkink the stiff knots that had settled there a few hours ago; his long legs were cramped in the small space and every bone in his body ached.  To top it off, he desperately needed to take a piss, but there was no way in hell he was going to use what the driver had the gall to call a lavatory located at the back of the bus; he could only imagine what sort of yokels had been using it lately.  Glancing down at his watch, he noticed with part relief/part anxiety that they were due to arrive in Lexington soon; for now, then, he would elect to remain in his seat, as close to the window as possible to avoid the pudgy, middle-aged bear of a man currently sitting next to him who been giving him what seemed to be more than a cursory glance since embarking on the bus at the last stop.  He purposely avoided looking the man’s way, hating the fact that the damn bus didn’t have any middle armrests; he had the distinct feeling that Bubba was intentionally trying to squeeze every last pore out of his body as he pressed into his personal space and took up more than his share of the seat.

 

He noticed the sun beginning its slow, mid-afternoon descent toward the horizon, signaling there was perhaps only a few more hours of daylight left before dusk settled in for good.  As they neared the exit for Lexington, the same lush, green fields remained but they were now sprinkled with barns of various shapes, sizes, and colors.  And the fences!  Rows and rows, miles and miles of wooden picket fences, some white, some black that seemed to literally go on forever surrounding the gently rolling hills.  Horses of all hues – mainly black, brown, and white – grazed peacefully amongst them, an occasional, lone shade tree providing some much-welcome respite from the surprising warmth of the late spring day. 

 

As Brian gazed in amazement at the bucolic, pastoral scene, he had to admit – it was calming and peaceful in an odd sort of way.  But it didn’t squelch his dismay over his fate; this would without a doubt be the most boring summer of his life.  He could see nothing at all to do here and felt decidedly like a fish out of water.  What the hell do people even _do_ out here? He idly wondered.  He had been told by his parents that his aunt and uncle didn’t actually live in Lexington – they resided in a small town a few miles away.  If there was so little to do around the ‘big city,’ he could only _imagine_ what it would be like where they lived.

 

He let out one additional weary sigh as the bus slowly veered off the interstate and turned right toward the bus terminal; at least in this part of town there were a few signs of habitation – a shopping mall, fast food restaurants, a large big-box hardware store.  He looked longingly at an X-rated video store as they passed by before the bus finally slowed down a few minutes later at the familiar Greyhound bus terminal sign and pulled into the station.  After what seemed like an interminable wait to disembark, he was finally able to stand up in the cramped space, grateful at least to be out of his seat as he followed the overweight man slowly waddling down the aisle in front of him.  He rolled his eyes in disgust as the man finally managed to maneuver between the rows of seats and slowly descend the metal steps down onto the pavement. 

 

Stepping onto the curb and retrieving a large, black, army-size duffel bag from the open luggage hold nearby, he glanced around uncomfortably, not having any idea what his aunt and uncle looked like.  The only thing he knew for sure was that his father had told him they would be picking him up and he had better be “damn well” waiting for them by the drop-off and pick-up point when they got there.  He had never met Willard and Sarah Walker before (just the names alone made him cringe), but he figured with Sarah Walker being his mother’s sibling that perhaps there might be some family resemblance at least.  _Poor woman_ , he thought with a smirk. 

 

As he looked around to catch his bearings, his eyes caught on the sight of a slightly shorter man approximately the same age as himself, leaning on one of the metal pillars nearby; he appeared to be a little more muscular than he was with curly, black hair and a slightly stubbled, angular jaw.  The black leather jacket and jeans fit his lean body snugly, displaying what appeared to be a fairly attractive package tucked inside.  His bright green eyes peered at him intently for a few seconds before he ever so slightly crooked his head toward the inside of the bus terminal. 

 

Brian smirked; well, his parents _did_ tell him to remain at the pick-up site; this definitely looked like a pick-up to HIM.  Adjusting his duffel bag over his left shoulder, he slowly shuffled over to the other man’s side and silently followed him through the sliding, double glass doors as the stranger led him over to the men’s restrooms located at the right of the terminal.

 

A few minutes later, he zipped up his pants in the narrow, scuffed metal stall and waited for the other man to exit the bathroom before he, too, followed him back out into the main lobby of the station.  The man he had just fucked had already been swallowed up into the ever-increasing crowd as he headed back toward the exit doors, hoping his ride hadn’t deserted him.  Part of him actually wished that they had; he was definitely not looking forward to his confinement.  But it beat going to jail for a decade, and he figured this older couple would be very easy to deceive.  He smiled; perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all…

 

Exiting once more through the double doors, he glanced left and then right before his gaze settled on an older couple standing near a sage-green and black pickup truck that must have been a hundred years old and his heart sank in instant awareness; he knew.  He just knew.  This _had_ to be them. 

 

The slender-built man of average height leaning against the driver's side door was wearing a pair of worn, bib overalls over a blue-and-gray plaid flannel shirt; he had a white baseball cap on his head that had an image of a large brown horse etched on it.  A few tufts of gray hair, which seemed out of place on a man who appeared to be in his early 50’s was peeking out from under the hat; a pair of worn, brown boots were partially covered by the cuffs of his jeans. 

 

The woman standing next to him had to be his aunt; as he suspected, the poor thing was the spitting image of his dear mother, Queen Joan, except she was a few years younger.  Same narrow face, same piercing, steel-gray eyes, same thin, wrinkled lips.  Same straight, salt-and-pepper gray hair, same rounded nose.  _Yep, no doubt_ , he thought with disdain. 

 

His biggest sense of dismay, however, was reserved for his apparent transportation.  The truck had to be from the 40’s; it looked like something straight out of the _Waltons;_ curved hood, narrow taillights, white-wall tires, with a wooden rail running across the sides of the truck bed.  Despite the ancient appearance of the vehicle, however, he had to grudgingly admit that it looked amazingly devoid of any rust or dings.  _Probably only drove it to the supermarket and to church_ , he couldn’t help thinking.  There didn’t seem to be anything else to do around this ‘burg, so it would make sense.

 

 

As he reluctantly shuffled over to the couple who were eyeing him curiously, he watched in surprise as the woman locked gazes on him and actually _smiled_ ; it was so unexpected to him, since his mother rarely smiled at _anything._ Her normal reaction was a decided scowl instead – that is, when she wasn’t plastered over a bottle of wine.  He noticed the dramatic difference in facial expressions, however, between the man and the woman; while the woman actually seemed happy to see him, the man’s expression remained tightlipped and stone-faced as Brian approached them.

 

As soon as he was within a few feet, the woman spoke.  “Hello, Brian,” the woman greeted him softly with a decided southern twang.  “I can see a lot of your mother in you,” she told him. She held out her hands in a silent invitation for a few seconds until Brian finally walked over and stepped into her embrace, even though the action made him feel decidedly odd.  She hugged him for a few moments, Brian’s hands hanging limp by his sides until she let him go to step back a few feet from him to get a better look.

 

A single eyebrow rose above Brian’s left eye at the woman’s statement; he wasn’t sure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult, although he assumed this woman had meant it as a kind remark.  “Well, I can’t see it,” he found himself saying.  “I don’t think I look like her at _all_.”  At least he hoped so, anyway.  He stared at her curiously.  “How did you know who I was, anyhow?” 

 

“Your mother mailed me a photo,” she told him, frowning slightly at his somewhat caustic tone of voice.

 

Brian huffed softly at the mention of ‘snail mail;’ that was so… _provincial_.  “Mailed?”

 

His uncle finally spoke up as he gruffly explained, “We don’t live near any high-falutin’ areas, boy, we live out in the country where there’s still fresh air,” he told him.  “We don’t have those awful cell phone towers like everyone else does.  Regular mail suits us just fine.”   He stared intently over at his taller nephew, noticing the rigid, stiff stance as he informed him curtly, “We agreed to take you in, Brian; but that doesn’t mean you’ll be living at some fancy hotel while you’re here.We live a simple life out here; you’d best be gettin’ used to that fact right now.”




 

“Willard, I declare!” his aunt scolded him.  “The boy barely just got here; give him some breathin’ room.”  She smiled at him apologetically.  “Don’t pay him a lot of mind, Brian,” she told him gently.  “You’ll find that his bark is a lot worse than his bite.” 

 

“That’s enough, Sarah!” Willard told her abruptly as he cut her off; he didn’t particularly care for her description of him.  He scrutinized Brian’s appearance, noting the fancy-looking, black leather jacket he was wearing before he told him, “We’d best be getting home; you can stow your bag in the back of the truck and hop in.  It’s about a thirty-minute drive and the traffic’s going to be awful this time of day.  Let’s get going,” he urged him impatiently. 

 

Brian’s mouth hung open.  “You want me to ride in _that_?” he asked with disdain, nodding toward the truck bed.

 

Willard eyed him unflinchingly.  “Well, unless you want to be a hood ornament, Boy, that’s _exactly_ what I expect,” he told him.  “I’m not letting Sarah ride back there, and there’s only room for two up front.  Now get in.” 

 

Brian let out an insulted breath.  “The name’s _Brian_ , not boy,” he told him as he bristled at his patronizing tone.  He peered over the top of the truck gate, thinking he could see the distinct signs of hay in the back of the truck; he wondered what _else_ the man may have been transporting lately.  He was beginning to feel like a cow being led to the slaughter as finally in resignation he threw his bag over the back of the truck and, stepping onto the back bumper, hoisted himself up into the bed with surprising nimbleness, finding a folded-up piece of an ugly rug remnant the only type of barrier between his clothing and the rough, hard, scuffed-up metal material of the truck bed.  He blew out a frustrated breath before he gingerly sat down inside on top of the rug, thinking he could smell the distinct aroma of manure – at least that’s what he thought it was; fuck knows he had been exposed to a lot of shit at home, but not THAT kind of shit…

 

“Are you all right in there?” Sarah asked her nephew with concern as she peered over the top of the truck’s bed, noticing the scowl on his face.  Even though she had just met him, it was easy to tell that he wasn’t happy with this turn of events.  Her sister had warned her beforehand on the phone that Brian was stubborn, used to being coddled and getting his way, so she figured this had to be a major culture shock for him.  She was determined, though, to do her best to help rehabilitate him as best she could.  She knew, though, that with her husband still in grieving over the loss of their son that he might not be so willing to help her with that particular goal; in fact, he had mainly agreed to do this since he needed help around the farm now.  She silently hoped, though, that Brian might perhaps wind up being the right tonic to help her husband break out of his depression; after all, it had been three years now.  Despite how much they had adored their only son, it was time to finally get on with their lives as best they could. 

 

Brian bit his tongue, wanting to tell her that this whole situation was full of shit - literally - but one look at her kindly face and voice of concern and he found that he just couldn’t do it.  He finally settled on something in-between as he replied, “Oh, I’m just peachy,” he told her, the sarcasm evident in his voice.  “Snug as a bug on a rug.” 

 

“Let’s go, Sarah,” Willard told her sternly as he shook his head; this kid was going to be a handful, he could tell.  Why had he let himself get talked into this?  Was a little extra help around the farm going to be worth listening to this kid’s haughtiness and disdain? 

 

Sarah lingered a few seconds longer outside before she finally nodded and walked around to open the passenger door as her husband entered the truck on the driver’s side.  As they both shut the doors, put on their seatbelts and Willard started up the truck, she turned to face him as he pulled away from the curb.  “You promised, Will,” she reminded him softly.  “You promised that you’d try.”

 

Her husband harrumphed.  “He’s a smart-aleck,” he told her.  “A juvenile delinquent, used to getting everything he wants WHEN he wants it.”

 

“Well, that’s why he’s here,” she insisted.  “He needs to learn some discipline and develop a sense of purpose.” 

 

“Well, I agree with part of that statement,” Willard muttered as he glanced in the rear-view mirror to observe their nephew’s face wearing a look of disgust as he held onto one of the wooden side rails.  It was obvious that he did not want to be here, but he seemed smart enough to realize this was his last chance to straighten himself out.  “He definitely needs discipline, all right; I’m not convinced he’s interested in a _sense of purpose_.”  He sighed as he glanced over at his wife to say, “I hope we haven’t bitten off more than we can chew here.  He’s going to be a challenge, I just know it.”  He sighed as he glanced back in the mirror again, this time seeing Brian lighting up a cigarette.  He shook his head.  “He is NOT going to smoke in our home, Sarah; what a filthy habit.”

 

Sarah sighed; it was ironic that in Kentucky of all places – one of the hotspots of tobacco growth – both of them had never picked up that particular habit.  She knew that part of their job would be to establish ground rules for their nephew to follow; she only hoped that when they did he wouldn’t find them so restrictive that he would promptly rebel and take off for parts unknown.  She felt a express obligation to try and help her sister Joan; she had taken over as a surrogate mother when they were growing up and their mother had died at 31 due to leukemia.  Her sister Joan had been a taskmaster during her childhood years, but with their father being forced to work long hours each week in a local auto plant, it had fallen upon her older sister to help raise her.  She hadn’t always agreed with her decisions, but she couldn’t deny that she had been instrumental in keeping their family together.  Now it was time for her to try and repay the favor. 

 

“I’m sure he’ll listen to reason about that,” she told him softly, noticing her husband didn’t seem convinced; truthfully, neither was she but she had to hope that Brian would at least try and compromise.

 

Willard snorted.  “We’ll see,” he told her as he steered the truck toward the two-lane highway taking them toward the small town of Versailles.  “I’ve already told Jack that if he acts up and doesn’t do as we say, we’ll report him so fast to their big-shot attorney that his head will spin.  I agreed to try and help them out; that doesn’t mean that I have to let him get away with anything.  By the time I get done with tanning his hide, he may wish he had decided to go to jail instead.  This is NOT going to be a walk in the park for that boy.”

 

Sarah turned to stare out the window sadly, wishing she could find a way to get through to her husband.  They had been married now for 25 years; until their son had died, they had shared a happy, loving relationship built on mutual support and understanding.  Once Dale was gone, though, things had changed.  Her previously happy-go-lucky, hard-working husband had become sullen and withdrawn.  He still worked hard – _too_ hard, she thought – but he no longer kept her company at nights on the porch swing as he listened to the Reds game or sat with her in the living room, reading a magazine in his favorite, brown and ivory corduroy recliner while she did her crossword puzzle.  No, more times than not he would be holed up now in either the barn or the stables, working on some project until it was time to retire for bed.  Except for the brief times she saw him at meals, most of the time she felt like she was living alone. 

 

That is, if not for Solomon.  Nowadays her only company at night was their dog, a five-year-old beagle that had showed up as a stray while still a puppy.  It had been Dale’s dog, actually; he had convinced them to keep him despite her husband’s reservation over having yet another ‘critter’ to feed.  Now he was the last, living reminder of their son and she couldn’t imagine him not being there. 

 

She turned back to look over at her husband’s profile; his face was now etched with wrinkles and creases from years of farming in the back-breaking sun, and his hair that had been jet black before now was relegated to more of a dark gray, but he was still the most handsome man she had ever met.  And somewhere inside she knew there was still a heart of gold beating there; she only had to find the key to unlock it once again. 

 

“Everything will work out okay, Will,” she murmured softly.  “You’ll see.”

 

He huffed out a soft breath, still not convinced.  “I hope so, Sarah,” he told her quietly.  “I sure hope so.”

 

* * *

 

_Earlier that Same Day – At the Next-Door Neighbor’s Farm_

 

“Justin!  Jared!  Your father’s waiting, boys, hurry up!” 

 

Despite her exasperation, Jennifer couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face as she heard the predictable sound of footsteps thundering down the two-story farmhouse’s steps a few seconds later; she had gotten to the point where she could tell each son merely by the sound of their feet.  Jared’s was always slow and deliberate, signifying his more laid-back, _I’ll-get-to-it-when-I’m-ready_ attitude, while her more conscientious, younger son Justin’s was always hurried when he was running late. 

 

Sure enough, she turned from her place at the kitchen stove to see Justin rushing toward her, jamming one arm into his lightweight, tan-colored jacket as he came over with a smile to place a quick peck on her cheek. 

 

“Sorry, Mom,” her tousled-headed son told her sheepishly.  “I forgot and overslept.” 

 

She nodded slightly.  “Well, your father’s in a rush to get started,” she told him as her other son came shuffling into the kitchen behind Justin.  To look at the two boys, one might be hard pressed to realize that they were brothers.  While Justin’s appearance was more indicative of her characteristics – slender build with blond hair and blue eyes – Jared seemed to have been born with more recessive genes from the family tree.  He was about two inches taller than Justin, with coarse dark brown hair and brown eyes; the day’s growth of beard he was currently sporting on his angular chin made him seem a little older than his eighteen years. 

 

Jennifer eyed her other son curiously as she opened up the oven and retrieved two plates of scrambled eggs and bacon she had left warming for them.  As Justin set his plate down nearby so he could plop a couple of pieces of white bread into the toaster sitting on the counter, Jared walked up to his mother and yawned widely before placing a kiss on her cheek as well.

 

“You got in late last night,” she told him quietly as she handed him the other breakfast plate and gazed into his somewhat bleary eyes.  “Playing pool again?” 

 

Jared shrugged his shoulders.  “What else?” he asked her.  “It’s the only place open around here during the week.”  _Home Stretch_ was the combination billiard hall and bar located a few miles away; Versailles wasn’t exactly a hotbed of activity at night unless you enjoyed catching fireflies or going skinny dipping at the local swimming hole down the street, so Jared often wound up going there at night when he wanted to meet up with his friends.  It wasn't hard to find a fake ID to gain entrance and wash back a couple beers in between games.

 

Jennifer sighed in knowing resignation as her two sons walked over to the kitchen table and sat down together to eat their breakfast.  Turning off the stove and walking over to join them with her mug of coffee, she watched as both sons dug into their meals with relish.  _At least they have that in common_ , she thought silently.  It wasn’t as if the two boys didn’t love each other; she knew that they did.  It was just that they were so different.  Jared, being the older one, had perhaps been given a little more freedom than Justin had; he was fiercely independent and stubborn, with just a hint of a rebellious streak in him.  Jared seemed to always just barely squeak by in school, where Justin excelled in every subject; he didn’t seem motivated at all in any of his classes, seeing them as more of a hassle than anything else. 

 

Oh, he helped out at the farm when he was asked, but it was always grudgingly.  His personality was closer to Craig’s in a lot of ways – somewhat gruff at times, no-nonsense, and straightforward.  He and his father spent many an hour working on refurbishing the older, hot-rod style cars they bought at the local salvage yard for a song and displaying them at car shows throughout the state after they had fixed them up.  Over time they had built up a solid reputation for the quality of their work and normally managed to turn a tidy profit when they sold their latest model, allowing them to start the process all over again.

 

Justin, on the other hand, had taken more after her.  He was more sensitive and compassionate toward others.  He always worried about hurting others’ feelings and what the consequences of his actions would be.  He loved to take care of their horses and seemed to have almost a sixth sense when it came to them.  Jennifer had grown up in a well-known, long-established family in the Lexington area and had practically been born astride one of the magnificent creatures.  It seems that her passion and love for horses had been inbred in her youngest son as well, a love that he expressed every day in his art.  Several of Justin’s amazing artworks were displayed proudly throughout their farmhouse, and he had even managed to have one of the art galleries in Lexington hang some of them in an alcove devoted to everything equine.  She had no doubt that one day her son would be a wildly successful artist; he had a way of making the horses come alive under his skillful hands, both in real life as well as on canvas. For now, though, both she and Craig depended upon him especially to help oversee their successful horse farm, for it was through their great success at the harness-racing competitions that their farm maintained its chief sustainability and profitability. 

 

“What?” Jared asked a little defensively, eyebrows raised as his mother peered over at him; he could tell she had something on her mind.

 

“You will be here all day today, right?” she asked him pointedly. 

 

Justin watched silently from his place by their side, not surprised by the question.  With Jared, it was always questionable how cooperative he would be when he was asked to do the dreaded ‘chores’ around the house.  Of course, with a farm the size of theirs and the 100-year-old age of their farmhouse, despite its well-kept appearance there always seemed to be maintenance that needed to be done, and that didn’t even include all the tasks required every day to keep their ten horses happy and healthy.  Thank God they had their long-time employee, Vic, to help them with that or all of the family would be spending every waking hour taking care of them. Vic had been a jockey a long time ago and had first met Justin’s paternal grandfather at the harness racing track.  The two had become fast friends and Justin’s grandfather had come to rely on the older man’s wisdom and expertise when it came to caring for the horses.  Eventually, his grandfather had hired Vic to oversee the maintenance of both their grounds as well as the horses.  It cut down on a lot of tasks required of them, but in the case of what they had to do today, he knew such a monumental task would take all of them if they were to finish it in one day. 

 

He heard Jared sigh heavily as he answered, “Yes, Mother, I will be here all day.  I promised, remember?  I’m looking forward to wearing white all day and inhaling paint fumes.”  The dreaded annual chore of painting all of their fencing had come; the moderately warm, low-humidity day was perfect for that task, so their father had decreed that today was the day.  That meant both boys would have to help do the painting until it was finished, which meant they could pretty much count on not being able to do anything else the rest of the day.  _Just the perfect way to spend a summer day_ , Jared thought with disdain.

 

“Don’t be so sarcastic, Jared,” Jennifer scolded her son.  “You knew it was coming up, and it’s the least you can do for your father after all the time he spends with you on your cars.  Both of you are already an hour late.  He’s waiting out by the stables, so hurry up and finish your breakfast so you can get started.  The sooner you start, the sooner you can finish.” 

 

Justin nodded as he met his mother’s glance and smiled at her over his brother’s typical reaction.  She couldn’t help smiling back tenderly at him in return.  She knew everyone said you always loved your children equally, but deep down she had to admit to a certain special affinity for her youngest son.  There was just something innately sweet and sensitive about Justin that endeared himself to you.  Even Jared understood that; when it came down to it, both brothers were distinctly different, but she knew that if anyone ever threatened harm to Justin his big brother would immediately come to his rescue.

 

She was extremely grateful for that, in fact, because by an odd twist of fate both brothers had wound up admitting to her and Craig a few years ago that they were gay.  At first neither of them could believe it was true; at the very least they thought that perhaps Jared might be able to understand what that meant, but Justin?  He had barely been fifteen at the time.  Besides, what would have been the odds that _both_ brothers would be gay?  Wasn’t it more likely that Justin was merely emulating his older brother’s beliefs and just _imagining_ that he might be gay? He was so inexperienced - at least she thought so, anyway; how much could he really know about love and sex?

 

Both brothers, however, had insisted at the time that they were, indeed, attracted to boys, not girls.  She could still recall how nervous Justin especially had been during that difficult conversation, but she had to give Craig credit.  Homosexuality was never something either of them had been all that exposed to nor understood, and she knew her husband was from a traditional, conservative background and could be very set in his ways, but she also knew that he loved his sons with all his heart.  Once both boys had convinced them of their sincerity, her husband – and her – had finally accepted it for what it was.  It still was hard for either of them to comprehend, but in the long run they had decided that if this made their sons happy and true to who they were, then they would have to accept it.  Silently in private, however, they both still questioned whether Justin, in his inexperienced state, was sure yet of just _what_ his sexuality was.  Only time would tell in that regard.

 

In the meantime, though, Jennifer was relieved that Jared was protective of his younger brother, because she imagined being gay in the Bluegrass State wasn’t going to be easy for either boy.  She didn’t worry so much about Jared; he could – and would – pretty much take care of any problems handily. But her more sensitive, tenderhearted child might not be as self-assured.  She knew she could count on Jared to help watch over him, at least for the next year until he graduated.  After then, she worried what might happen to her youngest son once Jared wasn't around.

 

Now, though, as both boys finished up their breakfast and stood up to carry their plates over to place them in the double, white porcelain sink, she could at least be assured she had some time before she would have to worry about that.  “I’ll bring you and your father some lunch out later,” she told them as the two boys nodded and hurried out the door.  As the screen door banged shut behind them, she let out a sigh of relief.  “Now maybe I can get some work done,” she said to herself. 

 

About ten years ago, to help supplement their income Jennifer had taken up the unusual hobby of beekeeping from an older neighbor woman who had been doing it all her life.  The prize money they obtained by racing their best sulky horses at the track kept them fairly comfortable financially, but she found she could breathe a little easier now by marketing the honey she collected from their beehives each summer.  It never provided them with a lot of extra money, but from what she sold at the local farmer’s market it helped to keep her from worrying about whether they would be able to pay their bills each month.  In particularly good years, she and Craig could even afford to sock away a little bit each summer to help with the boys’ college fund; they had managed to accumulate a nice little nest egg for their education.  She had her doubts if Jared would ever go to college, but she knew Justin had his heart set on attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville.  They had a nationally-known equestrian therapy degree program available that her youngest son felt he could use to combine his love of art with his goal to use horses to help rehabilitate the handicapped.  She smiled at the thought; only her son would come up with a way to combine two of his greatest loves and make a living out of it; she had no doubt that if anyone could do it he could.   

 

Wiping her hands on a nearby dishtowel, she placed the soiled dishes in the dishwasher before following her sons toward the door.  She took a few moments to retrieve the protective beekeeping gear she always hung on the coat hooks nearby before she, too, opened the front screen door and walked out onto the porch.  The sun was already well up into the sky and the day promised to be a gorgeous one; cloudless, low humidity, with a slight breeze.  She inhaled the scent of the flowering cherry trees nearby intermixed with the myriad varieties of perennial flowers she had so meticulously and lovingly planted around the two-story farmhouse; thanks to her efforts, there was a profusion of color everywhere the eye could see. 

 

Early summer was her favorite part of the year – it was warm enough without all the stickiness that tended to come to this part of the country later in July and August.  She walked over to the end of the porch to gaze out onto the rolling hills surrounding their home, admiring as she always did the horses peacefully grazing nearby.  Beyond their fence line, she could make out the more modest home of their neighbors, Willard and Sarah Walker.  She felt enormously sorry for both of them since the death of their son, but perhaps more so for Will.  Sarah was always the more resilient one, managing to bounce back from whatever adversity they experienced, whether it was a drought that served to dry up all their crops one year or the death of one of their livestock another.  But when Dale had died that day, a piece of both of their hearts had died also.  Sarah did a better job of hiding her grief for her husband’s sake, but Jennifer could tell; it was still there.  She knew that her friend and neighbor merely hid her own sorrow in an attempt to help her husband, but the pain and heartache never completely left her eyes. 

 

She had spoken to Sarah by the fence a few days ago, and had learned they were expecting a nephew to arrive today.  She knew that this boy had apparently gotten into some type of trouble back home in Pittsburgh and was being sent to her neighbors as a sort of last-ditch effort to get him straightened out.  Silently she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to foist their responsibility on Will or Sarah, but knowing how good-hearted Sarah was she knew she wouldn’t have been able to refuse.  And Will, despite his suffering, loved his wife so much she knew he would grudgingly go along with it because it was what Sarah wanted him to do.   She fervently hoped that everything would work out for them. 

 

She had invited them to bring their nephew over for a meal in the next few days once they all got situated; perhaps then she could see for herself what this boy was like and help keep him in line for her neighbors’ sake – they had certainly had more than their share of adversity lately and didn’t deserve any more problems.  Knowing there was nothing she could do at the moment to help them, though, she turned to gather up the beekeeping paraphernalia she had placed down on their wooden porch swing and started out toward the beehives near the barn, observing Craig and the two boys now working side by side at the fence closest to the dirt road that ran in front of their house.  She noted with amusement that Justin seemed to be painting his part of the fence twice as fast as Jared or Craig was; undoubtedly all the time he spent with a different type of paintbrush was benefitting him now.  Taking one last glance at her ‘men’ to make sure everything was progressing satisfactorily at the moment, she finally turned in the opposite direction toward the hives.

 

* * *

_Late Afternoon – Near the Walker House_

Brian hugged his leather jacket closer to him and scowled– now that the sun was starting to go down, the temperature was also cooling off rapidly; he shivered slightly in the breeze being generated by the truck as he wondered just how much longer they had to go.  His aunt and uncle had indicated their home was about thirty minutes away from the bus terminal; according to his watch, that should put them within about five minutes of their destination.

 

From his standpoint, all he could see between the wooden slats of the truck’s side rails were acre after acre of bluish-green grass, rolling hills, an occasional patch of tall, mature trees, farmhouses and barns, and horses – lots and lots of horses, along with a herd of cows here and there.  He rolled his eyes, wondering if they even had grocery stores around here.  Again, he wondered what in the hell he would do out here in the middle of nowhere.  Perhaps it _would_ have been better to have just gone to the fucking jail after all…

 

Finally, they turned off the single-lane highway onto a dusty, dirt road that ran to the right; he yelled out in surprised pain a few seconds later as the truck apparently hit a rut in the road and he bounced up out of his makeshift seat, only to be thrown back down hard onto the metal surface a few seconds later.  As the truck continued to be jostled as it negotiated the rough, pot-hole strewn road, Brian reached to hold onto one of the nearby rails with his hand in an attempt to brace himself, his temperament darkening with each bump he felt.  He questioned the sanity of agreeing to this ridiculous situation as he wished fervently for them to come to a stop – _any_ stop, just so he could finally stand on his own two feet on solid ground.  Between sitting for hours on that damn bus and now this, his ass was feeling sore as hell - and decidedly not in a good way. 

 

He watched through the slats as they approached a rather large, two-story farmhouse set back from the road; it was white with black shutters, with scrollwork on the corner eaves and tall, stain-glassed windows facing an impressively-wide porch that surrounded the house on three sides; a large cedar-wood, curved Amish-built swing sat unoccupied at one end, with white wicker furniture spread out among the remaining space.  Three lush Boston ferns hung from the porch’s ceiling.  A burnished, pewter-colored sign swung from an L-shaped wrought-iron post by the picket-fence gate that had a horse etched on it with the words “ _Windswept Farm, Est. 1938_ ” written above it.  The house was obviously an older one, but it was evidently lovingly cared for. 

 

Brian noticed they weren’t stopping there, so this was obviously not their destination. He sighed in disappointment, wanting desperately to escape his latest prison, before he noticed with interest three men hard at work near the road, painting the fence with a fresh coat of white paint.  There were two men squatted down on one side of the fence facing the road, while another one was on the opposite side. 

 

His eyes honed in on the men with interest as they approached them; this was the first fairly interesting sight he had seen since they had left the bus terminal and pretty much the only _human_ one he had seen in some time.  At least there were a few _other_ living things apparently existing here amongst the livestock and horses, although he couldn't for the life of him figure out why.  Holding onto the side rail of the truck, he struggled to pull himself up from his sitting position, noticing how stiff his back had become as their truck began to slow down somewhat.

 

Actually, as they got closer he quickly determined it wasn’t three _men_ ; it was ONE middle-aged man and two boys.  The dark-haired boy who was facing him was quite attractive, he discovered to his delight.  He was about his same height as he was and had a lean, muscular frame; the denim shirt he was wearing fit him to a T, and the jeans he was wearing were spread taut across his legs and crotch area as he remained in his squatting position and applied the paint to his side of the fence.  He could tell, though, by the pained look on the boy's face that he wasn't particularly enjoying himself at the moment.

 

The other boy who had his back to him had hair that shone like bright gold in the sunlight; Brian could tell the other boy was more petite and more slender than the other one, but with his back to him he couldn’t see his face.  As they slowed down even further, though, it was easy to ascertain that the blond boy had one fine ass; it was displayed for all the world to see as he bent over at the waist to apply some paint to one of the wooden boards.  Even through the denim of his jeans, Brian could see quiet readily that there was a perfectly-rounded bubble butt hiding underneath the material.  Brian’s eyes widened at the sight; two boys about his age who apparently lived nearby?  Perhaps this summer might have possibilities after all.

 

As the truck came to a complete stop, the older stranger stood up and squinted at Brian's aunt and uncle; his steely eyes locked onto Brian’s a moment later and he thought he saw a look of wariness flitter across the man's face before he acknowledged his aunt and uncle.  At the same time, the dark-haired boy stood up next to the man as he and Brian gave each other a closer appraisal.

 

Craig nodded as he wiped his brow with the sleeve of his navy-blue cotton shirt.  “Will, Sarah,” he said politely in greeting.  He looked at Brian who was standing up in the back of the truck, his eyes boring into his.  “This your nephew?” he asked them as he continued to stare at him for a few moments longer before he turned his gaze back to his neighbors.

 

Brian eyed him briefly, deciding he didn’t care too much for this man who apparently didn’t know how to smile; even his tone of voice was devoid of any emotion.

 

Brian chose to turn his attention back instead to the dark-haired boy who was standing next to him.  Yep, the boy wasn’t bad-looking for a country bumpkin – kind of dark and brooding and not particularly well-dressed, but definitely fuckable, especially considering how slim the pickings were probably going to be around here.  He noticed the other boy giving off a distinctly interested air as he locked gazes with him and the other boy actually smirked back at him in response.  _Yes, definitely interested in me_ , he thought knowingly. By now he knew the signs and this boy was as gay as the day was long.

 

It was then that the other stranger– the blond-haired one – stood up and turned to face the truck.  As Brian finally got a good look at the boy with the delectable ass, his breath caught in his throat.  The two boys were as different as night and day – while the first one, the older one, was tall and dark-haired with strong, angular features, this one was fair-skinned with the bluest eyes he had ever seen.  He appeared to be a bit younger than the other boy, and as their eyes met, he noticed a tint of pink color appear on his cheeks at the attention he was receiving.  _This boy was beautiful_ , he thought immediately. 

 

“Yes,” Brian heard his uncle saying.  “That’s my nephew, Brian.”  Will stuck his head out the truck’s window to crane his head toward Brian.  “Brian, this is my neighbor, Craig Taylor, and his sons Jared and Justin.” 

 

“Hey,” Brian said softly as he stared at the blond-haired boy in fascination, wondering which one he was.  He watched as the blond turned his head in embarrassment over his staring at him as the dark-haired boy addressed him.  “Hi, Brian,” he said with a smile.  “I guess we’ll be seeing you a lot this summer.  Nice to have someone to hang around with.”

 

Craig fixed his older son with a glower, noticing what sounded like a distinctly interested tone of voice in his son’s statement.  “Jared, let him be,” he commanded sternly.  “He’s not here on vacation.”  He didn’t care to elaborate on just why Brian WAS there; he figured that would be up to the boy’s aunt and uncle to divulge if they felt like it.  What he didn’t want to do was encourage his son to hang out with someone who had come to within a heartbeat of winding up in jail as a felon.  That didn’t seem like the kind of kid his sons should associate with.  He had reluctantly agreed to let the boy come over for a meal with his aunt and uncle, but that was all he had promised.  He could only hope they would keep the boy so busy that he wouldn’t have time to corrupt his own sons while he was here.

 

Brian digested this information curiously.  _So the dark-haired one is Jared; that means the blond with the hot ass must be Justin, then…_ He wondered just how much Craig Taylor knew about him and his predicament.  It certainly sounded like his aunt and uncle had been talking about him before he got here by his reproachful, distrustful tone of voice.  He wasn’t particularly happy about that; it really wasn’t any of this man’s business _what_ he had done.  He knew nothing about him.  _Well, to hell with the man_ , he decided; he made a mental note to find out as much as he could about both boys in the next few months no matter WHAT he might think.  He may not be on vacation, but that didn’t mean he was about to stay holed up on his aunt and uncle’s farm, either, not when he had such intriguing ‘entertainment’ nearby. 

 

From his place near the truck, Justin couldn’t help turning his gaze back to the vehicle to glance up shyly at the amazing looking boy staring back at him with the most incredible hazel eyes he had ever seen.  The tall, dark-haired boy was gorgeous – he had a lean body, flat chest and stomach, and long-fingered hands with thick, brown hair that glinted with reddish highlights in the afternoon sun.  And when he looked at him like he was right now, his stomach felt like a thousand butterflies were flying around inside.  It was a feeling he had never quite felt before and it both fascinated as well as scared the shit of him.  He had heard his mother and father talking about a nephew who was coming to say with the Walkers, but he hadn’t heard how old he was or why he was visiting all summer.  Now he was dying of curiosity to know all about him.

 

He was disappointed a few seconds later,though, when he heard Mr. Walker saying, “We’d best be going, Craig; Sarah’s itching to fix supper and I want to get Brian set up in the spare bedroom before it gets too late.” 

 

_Late_? Brian thought incredulously.  _It was only 4:30; just what time did these people go to bed, anyway?_

 

Craig nodded as he held the paintbrush away from his body, realizing he needed to get back to work.  “Let us know if you need anything,” he told him politely, not really desiring to follow through on it but feeling a need to offer just the same.  Being helpful was more up Jen's alley than his when it came to being neighborly.

 

“Thanks, Craig,” Sarah told their neighbor with a smile.  “Oh, and thanks for the invitation to come over.  I’ll give Jennifer a call tomorrow and we can set up a good time for all of us.”

 

Craig nodded as Willard put the truck into gear and slowly continued on down the road.  Brian continued to stand up in the back of the truck as Craig and the two boys watched them leave, his gaze bouncing back and forth between Jared and Justin.  As Craig bent down to dip his paintbrush back into the gallon of paint to resume his work, Brian noticed the older boy bestow a wink and a smile on him.  He smirked back at him briefly before he bestowed one more glance on the beautiful blond boy who sneaked a gaze of his own toward him before he, too, turned his back to him and returned to his painting.

 


	3. Udderly Out of His League

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian finds out that life on the farm isn't a romp in the hay - at least not yet!

_Brian finds out that life on the farm is not a romp in the hay...at least not yet!_

 

The pickup truck proceeded on down the narrow, dusty road for approximately another eighth of a mile before it slowed down and stopped completely in front of a smaller-sized, somewhat weather beaten residence that was a white two-story with black shutters.  Brian took one last look at the rapidly-disappearing, grander white farmhouse behind them before he confronted what would be his new digs for the next three months.  The difference was startling.

While the Taylor house has been surrounded by a white clapboard fence and was impeccably landscaped, this house had clearly passed its glory stage a long time ago.  He could imagine the home had been quite attractive at one point - it was enclosed with a metal, wrought-iron fence that was now rusting in spots, and the paint covering the delicate filigree work at the corners of the narrow front porch was intricate but fading in spots, no doubt due to battling the unrelenting rays of the morning sun that had beaten down upon it daily for over a century.  As he peered through the tall, rather spindly shade trees out front, he could detect a screened door with a small rip in it and a storm cellar protruding from the left side of the home, its wooden doors peeling with remnants of green paint.  The once grand residence, now looking neglected and forlorn, obviously begged for some much-needed tender loving care. 

As he hopped over the back of the truck bed and jumped down to stand next to the vehicle, he heard his aunt say softly almost in embarrassment, "It's not much.  But it's paid for and it's ours." 

 

The sarcastic statement about having to live in a dump for the summer that Brian was about to utter died on his lips; the almost guilty tone in his aunt's voice made him bite back what would have been his scathing reply.  Instead, he found himself simply saying, "It looks old."

 

"It was built in 1845," his Uncle Will told him defensively as he reached up to retrieve Brian's suitcase from the back of the truck.  "It may not look like much, but it's sturdy and has stood the test of time.  It'll be here a hell of a lot longer than most other houses will." He didn't tell Brian that before their son Dale had died three years ago the home had been a virtual showplace; fresh, crisp white paint, spotless, shiny wrought iron fencing, coal black shutters and spotless windows that shone brilliantly like small prisms of rainbows in the morning sun.  Now the only vestiges of their once wonderful home were the myriad colors of blooming perennials that Sarah has so meticulously planted on all sides of the house and along the fence.  His wife spent far too many hours outside in their flower and vegetable beds now, pulling up weeds and planting seeds that would eventually yield a bounty of food later for cooking and canning, but he understood more than anyone why she did it. 

 

It certainly helped keep their budget more controllable and saved them a lot of money on grocery expenses, but Will knew the real reason why she constantly subjected herself to such backbreaking work; it wasn't for the cost savings, although their funds were always tight now.  It wasn't because she preferred the taste of pesticide-free food or liked being out in the fresh, country air.  No, she did it to forget her grief - just as he spent so much time in the barn or at the stables doing the exact same thing.  Sarah was always reprimanding him about the stables being the _last_ place he should go to try and assuage his grief. She always worried that the beloved spot where Dale had always escaped to when he was troubled, sad, or bothered about something would merely serve to accentuate his own loss rather than alleviate it. But she was wrong; it actually helped to make him feel closer to their son.  He could stand there inside the musty, rustic structure and almost feel their son's presence still lingering there.  Yes, escaping to where his son had stood so many times before was painful at times.  Yes, his son's favorite place still haunted him with all the ‘could-have-beens' that invariably rushed through his mind.  But it was also a refuge for him, a sanctuary, the one place where he could still feel the unbridled, carefree spirit of his larger-than-life son, the son he missed terribly but painfully realized that he wouldn't see again until they were both dead and gone onto another place and time...

 

"Will?"   

 

He blinked as he realized his wife was addressing him; he turned his head to observe Sarah standing a few feet away with their nephew, both with perplexed looks on their faces.  His hand curled around the smooth leather straps of the suitcase he was still holding as he gruffly remarked, "It's getting late; let's get inside." 

 

Sarah studied him for a moment, knowing her husband was holding back something but instinctively realizing that now was not a good time to mention it as she gently took Brian by the elbow and led him toward the side gate.  "This way, Brian," she told him with a slight smile.

 

Brian followed her to a side door entrance, scowling at his closer inspection of the peeling paint and tired-looking exterior.  A black-and-white, cement horse statue in mid-stride about 2 feet tall seemed to stand sentry by the back door, its nostrils flaring at full gallop as its mane seemed to fly in the wind.  He wasn't surprised to note that one of its ears was missing a tip; somehow he expected it.  As they walked up to the side door, he cast a cursory glance around the property itself.  There was a huge, graying, weathered barn standing approximately 100 feet away from the house.  Two other smaller buildings of unknown use stood on either side of it.  He couldn't tell for sure what their purpose was because he couldn't see inside, but from the distinctive animal smells his nose was picking up, he had the ominous feeling that their residence was being shared by other, four-footed creatures who dwelled in the out buildings. 

 

"Come on," he heard his uncle sternly say by his side.  Brian huffed out a resigned breath as he turned around and walked through the side door while his uncle held it open for him; his aunt followed right behind him as Will waited to enter last. 

 

They came out into a small, narrow laundry room; to the left of the open doorway was the kitchen.  Brian noticed an ancient-looking, white, cast-iron stove that appeared to be from the Art Deco period of the 30's perched in the far corner; a brass pot rack hung overhead above it from the open-beamed ceiling.  An old, white refrigerator sat on the opposite wall, making a rather loud humming sound.  Two white, porcelain sinks were situated on the other wall with a window directly above them, facing out onto the road.  Golden yellow and white eyelet curtains were hanging on either side of the window, matching the cloth napkins folded neatly on a small, white laminate dinette table.  A clock nestled in the belly of a rooster was hanging over the doorway leading into a small hall that went toward the front of the house.  For a moment, he thought he was in a Twilight Zone episode and had been transported back in time to the _Walton's_ kitchen.  He expected John Boy to come walking in at any moment...

 

He stood there, unsure what to do as he heard his aunt softly tell his uncle, "Will...Show Brian to his room."  He noticed his uncle hesitating for some reason as Sarah repeated, "Will... _Please_." 

 

Sarah watched as Will finally nodded and Brian followed him down the hallway, knowing why her husband was hesitating.  She knew what he was about to do wouldn't be easy; but it was time to move on and it had to be done.  She bit her lip anxiously before turning to open the kitchen pantry door and retrieve a bag of onions stashed there. 

 

* * *

 

Brian surveyed the living room to his left as he and his uncle passed it on the way to a set of stairs; the room was furnished with a couple of  cream-and-maroon recliners and a large, cream and navy colored plaid couch in between them.  An old-fashioned floor lamp stood next to the couch that faced a wood-burning fireplace with a brick mantle.  He noticed a large painting of a horse attached to a sulky hanging over the fireplace, thinking the jockey in the work of art looked familiar but not knowing why. 

 

"Up here," Will told his nephew curtly from his place on the first step as Brian turned his gaze to the other side of the hallway; he was surprised that the room, which apparently was a sort of study, had a large pool table situated in the middle of it.  Somehow his aunt and uncle didn't seem like the frivolous, spendthrift types, and the pool table looked totally incongruous among the shelves of books and Victorian-looking furniture spread around the room.  At least now, though, he might have something else to occupy his time besides the two intriguing-looking neighbors he had encountered a short time ago.  For once the idea of spending a summer in Hicksville with an aunt and uncle he didn't even know was beginning to have some perks to it...

 

He climbed the stairs behind his uncle to a landing, following him to the right as Will advised with a nod of his head, "Bathroom."  Brian peeked inside as they walked by and grimaced at the small, all-white bathroom with a combination bathtub/shower located at the far wall; the shower curtain was partially pulled back, but he could see a horse pattern interwoven on it.  What was it with all the damn horses?  He hadn't seen any at all as they had come in.  Apparently, though, they were a fascination for his aunt and uncle, but why, though?  He hurried to catch up with his uncle as the man stood at the far end of the hall and impatiently turned to face him.

 

"Well? Don't be dawdling - times a'wastin," he told him sternly, his arms crossed over his chest.  He had purposely turned away from the closed door he was standing next to, finding it extremely difficult to open it.  He and Sarah had talked at length about this and he still felt a sense of dread looming over him at the thought of entering _that room_ again.  But he also knew it was the only other bedroom they had, and as much as he hated to admit it Sarah was right - it wasn't doing anyone any good staying empty all this time.

 

Brian walked up to him, noticing for once that his uncle seemed uncomfortable about something, even anxious.  The man just stood there by the door, not moving.  "Is this the bedroom?" he asked him. 

 

Will nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat.  He hadn't been in this room in so long, not since...He took a deep breath and slowly curled his hand over the old-fashioned, crystal door knob, feeling the smooth coolness under his touch as he turned the knob to open it.  Slowly he pushed it inward, noticing the musky smell first, followed by the thin coat of fine dust blanketing the oak dresser and the fat spindles of the matching bed.  The entire room was just as they had left it, except that Sarah's mother had changed the sheets and made up the bed right after Dale had died; why she had felt the need to perform that rather absurd gesture he didn't know.  What difference had it made?  But once the bed had been freshly made and a dusting had been done, the lights had been turned out, the door had been closed and nothing had been touched ever since.  It was exactly as they had left it.  Some of his son's most important horse trophies still stood proudly on a wide bookshelf above the bed; Dale had won so many by the time he had died that they had wound up placing some of them in the barn, up in the loft.

 

His favorite cowboy hat, well-worn and loved, still hung over one of the rear bedposts, right where he always hung it when not in use.  An antique, iron horseshoe - the symbolic icon of good luck - still hung over his desk on the far wall next to his closet.  And the large, black-and-white portrait of three of their former horses - animals that had been sold after Dale's death to a neighbor horseman - still stared back at him from the side wall to the left of the tall window overlooking the barn.  It was as if his son would be rushing in any minute, all breathless from yet another practice run with his favorite horse.  Only as he looked around the eerily quiet room, Will knew in his heart that that was all a cruel illusion.  He knew Dale would never walk back into this room again, and it filled him even now with tremendous grief and loss. 

 

Brian stood there just inside the room, observing the myriad of emotions filtering across his uncle's face.  It was really the first time he had ever seen any crack in the man's impenetrable shell since they had met, and he wondered what had caused it.  He glanced around the room, feeling like he was in some sort of shrine.  There were more horses - statues displayed on a night stand - but also a photo hanging next to several variously-sized trophies.  He walked deeper into the room, approaching the photos to take a better look as Will stood there still as a statue.  He immediately recognized his aunt and uncle in the photo; it was startling in the difference, however.  In the photo, his aunt and uncle had their arms around a boy between them who appeared to be in his late teens and they were smiling - it was a genuine, radiant smile full of happiness and love.  They did not appear to be that much older than they were now, but the expressions on their faces were so dramatically different from the weary-looking, sullen expression his uncle was wearing now and the drawn, sorrowful look on his aunt's face that he had seen earlier that he was astounded that they were the same two people.  What had happened between then and now to produce such a change?  He stared at the boy in between them, noticing a distinct resemblance.  He wondered for a moment why the boy looked so familiar, and then it hit him; it was the same boy he had seen in the portrait over the mantle downstairs. 

 

He turned around to find his uncle staring over at him with an indecipherable look on his face.  "Who's that in the photo with you?" he asked Will, nodding his head toward the picture. 

 

His uncle pursed his lips tightly together for a couple of seconds before he told him curtly, "None of your business."  He stood there for a moment longer before he walked over to the bed and placed the suitcase down on its side.  "Get unpacked and cleaned up," he told him abruptly.  "Dinner's at six.  Don't be late." 

 

Brian huffed out an irritated breath at his uncle's rudeness as the man turned around and strode quickly out of the room without saying another word.  "Well, thanks for the warm welcome," Brian muttered under his breath as he stood there for a moment, his eyes flashing in anger.  He couldn't see the tears that welled up in his uncle's eyes as he hurried to escape before Brian noticed them.

 

* * *

 

"How quaint," Brian grumbled as he pulled the vinyl shower curtain to the side and stepped over the lip of the tub to get in, making a face of disgust at the rubberized bath mat lying on the bottom of the tub.  There was a hand-held shower head attached to the side wall to use for showers, and a built-in soap shelf directly underneath the small, frosted-glass window.  A metal towel rack hung at the back of the tub with a couple of thin, well-used, cotton towels - white with a couple of horses on them, of course; what else? 

 

Looking at the green-colored, antiseptic-smelling bar of soap on the shelf, he was thankful for his more expensive milled soap that he had thought to bring with him, along with his quality after-shave and cologne.  Even if he might be forced to _live_ in a hick town, he still didn't have to _smell_ like he lived in one; he had to retain his dignity, even though it was hard to feel ‘dignified' when you were standing in a porcelain bathtub.  Shaking his head in repulsion, he began to shampoo his hair, thankful at least that the farmhouse has decent water pressure.

 

Several minutes later, he could feel the results of not eating much earlier settling in his stomach as he finished getting dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a short-sleeved, black tee shirt.  Brushing his hair into place, he felt somewhat cleaner and void of all the dust and manure the truck had reeked of and appeared a little more presentable now.  Slipping on a pair of leather loafers, he walked down the hallway and descended the steps.  An enticing aroma greeted his nose as he padded down the short hallway separating the kitchen from the living room and entered to find his uncle already seated at the oval-shaped table situated near the corner of the room.  His aunt smiled at him from her place at the stove, a large platter in her hands. 

 

"Brian," she greeted him.  "We were just getting ready to eat.  Have a seat," she instructed. 

 

Feeling just a bit out of place among people he still didn't know very well, he nonetheless surrendered to his growling stomach and walked over to the table to eye his uncle, who returned his gaze with an unreadable expression of his own.

 

"You're late," the man told him as he glanced up at the rooster clock.  "I told you dinner was at six.  That is rude and disrespectful.  Next time make sure you're here when we tell you to be."

 

"Will..."  Sarah walked over and sat the platter of chicken down in the middle of the table; she pulled the two rooster-shaped oven mitts off her hands and placed them down on a small telephone table nearby.  "Brian didn't know any better; it's no big deal," she soothed.  She smiled reassuringly at Brian as she pulled out a chair at the opposite end of her husband and urged him, "Sit down and we can get started."

 

Brian exhaled out an angry breath to try and calm himself as he finally did as she asked, pouring his long body into a wooden Hitchcock chair with a fruit pattern on the back, a maroon chair pad tied to the seat for cushioning. 

 

Will stood up and pulled out his wife's chair for her to sit before he, too, sat back down and eyed their guest with barely-disguised repugnance.  No doubt his nephew was accustomed to being waited on hand and foot; well, that wasn't going to happen in _his_ household.

 

"Will, would you please say grace?" Sarah asked her husband as she placed her napkin in her lap and folded her hands.

 

"Not yet, Sarah," he told her sternly as he kept his gaze on his nephew across the table.  "We need to go over the rules of the house first."

 

"Will, the food will get cold..." Sarah protested.

 

"I don't care," he told her adamantly.  "There're some things he needs to understand before we go any further."

 

Brian rolled his eyes.  "I thought I was avoiding prison, not being sent to one."

 

His uncle's eyes flashed with indignation.  "Watch your mouth, boy; we can send you back there if you want.  Is that what you prefer?" 

 

Brian growled, "I am NOT a _boy!_ And I told you not to call me that!"

 

Will snorted as his voice rose in anger; he knew this had been a mistake.  "Then quit acting like one!"

 

Sarah bit her lip nervously.  She had been hoping for a pleasant evening of dinner and conversation, not an inquisition.  She tried again to reason with her husband.  "Will, please...It's Brian's first night here and he's trying to get adjusted to his new surroundings."

 

"That's all the more reason why we need to straighten some things out now," Will countered as he stared Brian down.  "You need to understand some things.  Rule No. 1:  You are to be in bed each evening no later than 10:00 p.m."

 

Brian's mouth fell open in astonishment.  "Ten p.m.? "  He let out an incredulous laugh.  "You're giving me a fucking _curfew_?" 

 

"Watch your language, Brian!" Will snapped at him.  "We do not permit profanity in this household.  You can call that Rule No. 2."

 

"Ten p.m.?" Brian repeated.  "Why do I have to go to bed when you say so?  I haven't gone to bed at 10 p.m. since I was in middle school."  Brian never HAD allowed anyone to dictate when he did or did not go to bed.  His mother and father had tried but he had simply waited until they had checked up on him to make sure he was ‘asleep,' and then he had promptly turned the television or computer back on and did his own thing; some nights he even slipped out of bed altogether and went into town as he got older to the clubs or the bars.  Even back in middle school he seldom got to bed before midnight; he was one of those people who thrived on just a few hours' sleep; he still did.  The thought of having a set time as to when to go to bed, then, especially at his age, was totally ludicrous.

 

"I don't care WHAT you did or didn't do," his uncle told him flatly.  "While you're living in my household you will either do what I say or you can go back to Pittsburgh and wait whatever punishment that judge prescribes for you there.  I really don't care; it's your call."   He crossed his arms defiantly at his nephew and stared over at him unflinchingly, leaving no doubt that he meant exactly what he was saying.

 

Brian let out an angry breath as he glared over at his uncle; his aunt eyed him sympathetically but chose to remain silent, no doubt acquiescing to the ‘man of the household.'  To Brian he wasn't much of a man, though - he seemed more like a big bully, just like his own father was.  But the man unfortunately had a point; he had him over a fucking barrel because the last thing he wanted was to wind up having to go to jail for ten years.  He decided reluctantly that _this_ jail was preferable to the other alternative as he finally grumbled, "Okay.  Whatever." 

 

"That's not all," Will told him.

 

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, only to have her husband grab her wrist gently but firmly and say, "Sarah, let me speak my piece."  Sarah sighed as she nodded, licking her lips anxiously, hoping her husband and her nephew would eventually come to a meeting of the minds.  From the looks on both men's faces, however, it was doubtful that would happen.

 

"Rule No. 3:  You are to be awake no later than 6 a.m. each morning so you have time to eat breakfast before doing your chores."

 

Brian thought that surely he hadn't heard the man right.  The proper words failed him temporarily as he finally uttered, "Six a.m.?  Chores?  What the fu...What are you _talking_ about?  Is this a labor camp?"

 

"No, _Brian_ , it's a farm; a _working_ farm!" Will growled as he held his butter knife tightly clenched in his hand.  "That means that everyone in this household has to contribute to its operation, including you!  Did you think this was a resort out here?  That you could just go swimming in the local pond and work on your glorious tan all summer?  Well, if you did, Boy, you're in for a rude awakening!  We work _hard_ out here to survive.  And you will be expected to do the same while you are living here, just like the rest of us do!  Do you understand?"

 

Brian fumed at his uncle from across the table, his arms crossed tightly over his chest and his eyes dark with fury as he remained mute and unyielding.

 

His uncle, however, could be just as stubborn.  "I said...Do...You...Understand?" 

 

Sarah's attention darted between her husband and her nephew, wondering which one would come out on top in this battle of wills.  Though not actually connected by blood, both were apparently cut from the same stubborn, strong-willed cloth.  She could tell that Brian was highly agitated by this unexpected curtailment of his freedom; not surprising, she supposed, considering how much freedom he must have enjoyed back home.  But then again, perhaps that was why had had gotten into so much trouble.  As her grandmother had always liked to say, _Idle hands were the devil's workshop_ , and the devil must have been working overtime with this young man.

 

Brian seethed inside, feeling like a trapped animal.  He desperately wanted to just tell the man to fuck off and get the hell of there, but what did he know about this part of the country?  The thought of stealing some money from him and even that monstrosity of a truck he owned to escape crossed his mind, but he knew if he did and he wound up getting caught he would be in even MORE trouble.   He had heard enough horror stories about being some prisoner's whore in jail to realize that would not be a pleasant experience.  And the thought of being incarcerated for ten years, being told when to get up, when to take a piss, when to shower, and when to go to bed filled him with repulsion, even though his current situation wasn't that much different.  Clearly, though, he was going to have to find a way to pretend to satisfy his tyrant uncle's stipulations while discovering how to, ahem, _enjoy himself_ along the way; that was his only option.  Which led him briefly to think of his encounter with his neighbors earlier....

 

He came back to the present several seconds later, feeling the heated stare of his uncle whose question he still hadn't answered.  He lifted his gaze to observe him waiting with barely veiled impatience for his response.  He glanced over at his aunt, who nodded slightly in encouragement before he inhaled a deep breath and let it out, assuming an almost defeated, submissive stance as he nodded, knowing it was merely a way to deceive his uncle into thinking he had a false sense of control over him.  "Okay.  Yeah.  I understand," he bit out distastefully.  "But I want to get one thing straight with _you_.  My name is Brian.  B-R-I-A-N.  Not Boy. Do YOU understand THAT?" 

 

Sarah eyed her husband in concern as she hastily interjected, "That's only fair, Will.  He has a point.  Respect goes both ways."

 

"Respect has to be _earned_ ," he corrected her before sighing in resignation.  "Very well... _Brian._ I will call you by your first name if you hold up _your_ end of the bargain - agreed?"

 

Brian stared over at him for a few seconds before he nodded - just before his stomach let forth with a response of its own. 

 

Sara laughed, a nervous but relieved laugh.  "Well, then.  Sounds like someone's hungry," she replied with a smile, glad that the impasse has apparently been broken.  "How about some of my famous fried chicken?"   She started to reach for the platter in the middle of the table, only to be stopped by her husband's hand gripping her wrist again.

 

"Not before grace," Will reminded her sternly as she nodded. 

 

Brian watched as they bowed their heads and his uncle began to intone, "Lord, for this bounty we are about to receive may we be truly grateful."  He paused for a moment before he added, "And please help provide us with the tools to guide our nephew onto the right path.  Amen." 

 

Brian sighed softly in annoyance as his aunt passed him the chicken; he took a piece of breast meat and passed it onto his uncle silently, the ritual repeated until all of the food on the table had been distributed to each party. 

 

The silence tense and uncomfortable for several interminable minutes, Sarah decided to try and lighten the mood by saying, "That was nice of Jennifer to call and invite us over for a meal.  She's such a sweet lady." 

 

Brian's ears perked up at the mention of their neighbors; that was the one possibly pleasant part to this whole ordeal - the two boys he had encountered earlier in the day - one dark-haired and brooding like thunder, the other blond and pale like the sun.  How they could be brothers was hard to fathom, but they did share one thing in common - they were going to find out what it was like to be plowed; deep and hard, very, very hard..He smirked at the thought as Sarah continued, "If it's okay with you, I thought I'd call her this evening and see if she'd like to meet for supper tomorrow.  I could make my blackberry cobbler and take it with us.  What do you think, Will?" 

 

Her husband took a bite of his half-runner beans and swallowed them before he shrugged.  "I suppose that would work.  I have to go into town tomorrow and pick up some more chicken feed.  And I need to set up some irrigation out in the back field.  So supper would be better than lunch."   He peered over at Brian with a smirk, noticing the rebellious teen wasn't shy about voicing his opinion or eating when the food was good.  "Good thing you're eating," he observed dryly.  "You'll need your strength for your chores."

 

Brian glanced up as he swirled his fork around a small helping of macaroni and cheese and wondered just what he meant by that statement.  He had to admit - the fried chicken was excellent; crispy on the outside, not too greasy, moist on the inside.  And the beans were seasoned with some sort of seasoning to make them quite tasty, and the macaroni and cheese appeared to be made with real cheese, not with some boxed shit, so at least his aunt knew how to cook.  "What _kind_ of chores?" he couldn't help asking, wondering what in the world anyone did out in the middle of nowhere.

 

His uncle merely smiled at him and said, "You'll see soon enough.  But better not dress in fancy duds tomorrow, unless you want them to get all greasy and smelly."  He appeared to be enjoying the look of dismay on Brian's face as he quickly glanced over at his wife before adding, "Now finish up your supper and get off to bed; we've got a big day tomorrow."

 

Brian glared over at him sullenly before he stabbed a few elbows of macaroni, uncaring all of a sudden _how_ many carbs he was ingesting; something told him that he would be working any extra calories off tomorrow in no time.

 

* * *

_Early the next morning - Windswept Farm_

Justin glanced up from his twin bed where he was sitting cross-legged and hastily flipped his sketchpad face down on the mattress as his brother appeared in the doorway, hoping his face didn't give away what he had been doing.  "Hey."

 

"Hey," Jared responded in kind as he walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed; he glanced down at the sketchpad next to his brother's legs as he said, "Drawing _again,_ Squirt?   Were you BORN with a paintbrush in your hand?"

 

Justin snorted.  "Using that same old line _again_ , Sport?" he teased him in kind.  Their nicknames came easier to the two of them than using their actual names.  Jared always liked to kid his younger brother about how much smaller and slenderer he was than him; that, plus the fact that he was forever trailing along with him on most of his adventures.  And while Justin was almost on the petite side - slender and fair-skinned - he was more large-framed and muscular, even though he didn't appear to have an ounce of fat on his body.  He WAS the perfect composition, though, to be a hell of a baseball player in high school, as well as the captain of the track team.  He certainly had the natural ability to excel in whatever endeavor he usually put his mind to, except in regards to two things:  artistic talent and mastering their sulky in the various horse races that their family had participated in and emerged victorious in.  For that it required someone with a gentle touch and a smaller stature - two characteristics that fit his younger brother perfectly and whose attributes seemed to match his nickname for him.  They had long ago forgotten when exactly the two nicknames had emerged, but now it seemed more natural to use them than their birth names. 

 

Jared grinned back at his brother as he nodded his head, indicating the sketchpad.  "What were you drawing?" he asked curiously, noticing Justin's face turning red.  "Let me see."  He reached to grab it, but Justin was faster as he snatched it up and held it tightly face down against his chest.

 

"Just doing some doodling," he mumbled.  "Nothing special."

 

Jared licked his lips skeptically.  "Then why can't I see it?  Hand it over."

 

Justin scooted back a little in the bed toward the headboard.  "It's personal," he told him stiffly.  "You don't let me see everything YOU do."

 

Jared snorted.  "That's different.  I prefer to watch my porn and jack off in private."  He eyed his brother's guilty face as he asked, "What could be so personal about a sketch?"  Before Justin had a chance to respond, he quickly reached out and pulled it out of his hands. 

 

"Give that back!" Justin shouted as his brother turned it over and smirked. 

 

"Aha!" he said in triumph, his eyes twinkling in amusement.  "I knew it!  You're fantasizing about that Kinney guy already!"

 

Justin's face flushed an ever darker shade of red as he glared at his brother.  He reached to take the sketchbook back, but Jared was too quick for him as he deftly dodged away just far enough to evade him as he stared at the drawing Justin had so meticulously made last night.  It was a sketch of Brian standing up at the back of the truck, staring down at them with a sort of arrogant sort of grin on his face, his leather-jacketed body straight and tall silhouetting his trim body.  His dark hair was slightly tousled from the wind and it shone under the spotlight of the sun while his hands gripped the back of the truck bed.  It was a remarkable likeness of the guy, Jared had to admit, as he grinned over at his guilty-looking younger brother.  "Dream on, Squirt!" he told him.  "He is so out of your league!"

 

Justin huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest.  "And I suppose you think he's just perfect for _you_."

 

Jared's smile turned even wider as he nodded back at him.  "Damn straight I do!  Oh...wrong choice of words," he joked.  As much as he loved his brother, he was presently enjoying the look of disgust on his brother's face.  While he had perfected an indecipherable look of nonchalance a long time ago - finding that it helped to get him out of a lot of jams in the past - his brother was like an open book when it came to figuring out how he felt.  His emotions were always so easily read just by looking at his body language and his face.  And right now he could tell quite easily that he had hit the nail on the head.  He felt a slight rush of sympathy for his tender-hearted, idealistic brother who always wore his heart on his sleeve and tried to see the good in people; to most other acquaintances and to his family, his younger brother could never seem to do any wrong in their eyes.  He actually felt a little envious of that trait in Justin, but he would never let HIM know that.  Perhaps that was why he always had to feel like he was one step ahead of him.

 

"He was looking at ME, Squirt," he told him gently.  "He is so above your level.  You need to go find you a little tame pony somewhere, not a stallion like he is."  In fact, he hadn't seen anyone who could compare with the body he had seen on this particular guy.  He really didn't know anything at all about him yet except for the bits and pieces his parents had mentioned, but he was sure going to enjoy finding out.  He could already tell just by the look the other guy was giving him that he was of the right ‘persuasion.'  And soon he would be able to test that theory out in practice. 

 

Justin huffed out an angry breath.  "I'm not one of our horses, Jared," he told his brother defensively.  "And he was checking us _both_ out, so don't be so sure of that... _Sport_."

 

Jared had the gall to laugh as he handed the sketchpad back to his brother.  "Face it, little brother; this is the only way you're ever going to get up close and personal with _that_ guy."  He paused for a few seconds before he added, "I bet he's got a great cock," finding glee in the icy stare he was receiving. 

 

"I'm sure you'll find out," Justin muttered as Jared let forth with another laugh at his expense, making him even madder. 

 

Jared reached over to ruffle his hair affectionately as Justin shrunk back from him in resentment, suddenly feeling like a five-year-old kid.  "I'm sure you're right," he told him with a twinkle in his eye.  "In fact, I'll have my first chance to check that out tonight." 

 

Justin frowned, his initial anger forgotten.  "What do you mean?"

 

Jared smiled.  "I heard Mom talking to Sarah Walker a little while ago; guess who's coming over for dinner tonight?"

 

"Shit," Justin mumbled, his eyes wide with both excitement as well as anxiety as he realized instantly who Jared was referring to.  While he found that he was having a hard time getting the Kinney boy out of his mind, at the same time the thought of being so close to him at dinner filled him with nervous fear.  And while he firmly felt he was correct - that this Brian was definitely looking them _both_ over - he also knew that typically once they laid eyes on Jared and got to know him a little better, he was left flat in the dust when it came to potential boyfriends.  Not that he had had that many - actually, he had _never_ had a ‘true' boyfriend; merely occasional, clandestine ‘dates' where he and the other guy went over to the swimming hole or rode a couple of their horses up into the gently rolling, heavily wooded slopes around the farm.  And while he had occasionally participated in some healthy rounds of mutual blowjobs or hand jobs with another guy behind the bleachers at school, the truth was that he had never had sex with another guy, not the full-scale, in-your-ass sort of sex.  Not that he didn't think about it - _constantly_.  In fact, just last night the subject of his latest desire had been featured prominently in his wet dream - the boy that had popped up out of nowhere.  And he had never come so hard in his life before as a result; he had had to bite down on his hand last night so no one else in the house would hear his groan of climax.  But seriously, when it came to this other boy what chance did he possibly have against his older, wiser, and more street-wise brother? 

 

Jared's lips turned up in one corner in a knowing smile. "That's right, little brother," he confirmed with a mischievous gleam in his eye.  "The subject of your gay fantasies is coming over for dinner tonight.  Hope he'll let you down easy."

 

Justin's eyes flashed as Jared rose from the bed, cocky and so sure of himself.  "Fuck you," he growled as Jared laughed at him again.  "We'll just see about that." 

 

"Dream on, Squirt, dream on," Jared countered.  "Now get up - Mom sent me up to fetch you for breakfast; you have to finish up the painting this morning before it gets too hot."

 

Justin's mouth hung open.  "Me?  What about YOU?"

 

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a knot," Jared told him.  "Dad and I need to go into town to get some feed for the horses.  We're going to go look at another car to restore, too.  It's a beauty, or it will be; a 1937 Ford.  I can see it solid black with flames on either side - just like one of those old American Graffiti jalopies."

 

Justin rolled his eyes at his brother's enthusiasm.  If you saw one old hotrod, you've seen them all.  At least with his art, his subject matter was only limited by what he could think up or see.  And right now one ‘thing' in particular was especially intriguing.  The thought of seeing that ‘thing' up close and personal tonight, however, was extremely intimidating to him, but also very exciting; hell, out here the most exciting thing was the local county fair.  This particular event tonight, though, far surpassed that.  Just the idea of this Brian guy sitting at the same table with him made his heart race and his palms get clammy.  If he looked and sounded that sexy from several feet away...Shit, what would he do if he actually tried to make conversation with him?  Would they even have anything in common?  Would he even look at him with Jared putting the moves on him?  The whole idea was so mind-boggling...

 

"Come back to Earth, little brother!  Come in!"

Justin blinked his eyes and looked over at his brother sheepishly.  "Yeah?" 

 

Jared snorted.  "I said...Do you need anything while Dad and I are in town?  Growth hormone?  Suntan lotion?"  He snickered as he said, "I know you don't need any condoms."

 

Justin's face turned red as he said, "Fuck you, Jared!  Just go and leave me alone!"

 

"See ya," he told his brother as he turned and walked away, his laughter mocking Justin as he sat there indignant.  Maybe he _didn't_ need condoms; not yet, anyway.  That didn't mean that he didn't have every intention of using one - someday.  Something told him two things, though, about Brian Kinney:  one - HE was the one who ‘needed' condoms, and probably lots of them; and two - the man would never be a bottom for him or anyone else.  He groaned in embarrassment over just the thought of him...And that gorgeous other boy....

 

"Aargh!" he muttered in disgust.   Why did life have to be so difficult?  Sighing heavily, he placed his sketchpad down carefully on the bed.  Taking one last look at the subject of his angst, he grudgingly rose from the bed to go eat his breakfast. 

 

* * *

_Same time..._

 

Brian glanced at himself in the dresser mirror, dreading what ‘chores' his uncle had in store for him today.  When he had come up to his bedroom last night, he had sat on the edge of the bed for a while, peering out through the tall window that looked out onto the barn and other outbuildings, hypnotized by how inky black it was out here.  Except for the full moon filtering in from high above, and the myriad of stars blinking back at him, there wasn't a light anywhere to be found, at least not any nearby.  As he walked over to stand by the window, however, he could make out a few lights coming from what appeared to be the Taylor farm up the road.  He was too far away to make out any actual people inside, but he couldn't help wondering which room or rooms held the two boys that he had seen earlier in the day. 

 

That was definitely going to be the highlight of his day today.  At least if he could get through whatever drudgery his Uncle Will had in store for him today, he had something to look forward to later.  He had spent several minutes last night, sitting on the window ledge taking a much-needed smoke, wondering just which boy he would fuck first.  He had no doubt he would fuck both of them in short order.  He even wondered if he could take turns with both of them at the same time, but he finally decided that might be just a little too kinky for two country boys.  But he had no doubt that maybe even by the time the next night was over, he might very well have a taste of both of them.  And what tasty sorts they appeared to be!  He smiled.  It was almost like a smorgasbord of delectable ass and cock - one tall, dark, and lean, one blond, fair and slender.  It was like having the best of both worlds.  The only question was - which one would be the lucky one to go first?  The one with the muscular body or the one with the wondrously curved bubble butt?  _Whichever one gets the honor_ , he thought to himself, _they'll be damn lucky to have me._

He smirked at his reflection in the mirror before he turned and headed out of the bathroom and down the hallway toward the stairs.  He could smell the food his aunt no doubt was preparing for breakfast as he reached the downstairs and turned toward the kitchen, glancing up at the clock as he entered to see that it was precisely 6:00 a.m. on the nose.

 

His uncle glanced up from the newspaper he was perusing as he arrived, noting his nephew was wearing a form-fitting pair of well-worn blue jeans, a long-sleeved, V-neck, dark blue pullover tee shirt and a pair of leather loafers.  He snorted softly at Brian's shoes, knowing they wouldn't last more than five minutes in the same condition where he was heading.

 

"What?" Brian asked him as he walked up and sat down in his customary chair from last night. 

 

Will never lifted his gaze from the page he had returned to reading as he told him, "I hope you don't mind getting manure all over those shoes, Brian.  They're awfully fancy to do chores with." 

 

Brian's nose crinkled in disgust.  Did his uncle say _manure_?  He thought he had already smelled enough horse shit yesterday in the truck.  He looked up as his aunt walked over and placed a glass of orange juice down next to him, along with a plate of fried eggs, bacon, and a homemade biscuit.  "Well, maybe you need to change what I'll be doing today, then." 

 

Sarah eyes rose at her nephew's sarcastic tone of voice, knowing instinctively that sort of response would not go over very well with Will.  It didn't take long to find out that she was right. 

 

"Well, maybe YOU need to go upstairs and change your shoes," he told him brusquely.  "Because chores are chores; they need to be done and they are not subject to change or your whims.  Now either go find another pair of shoes or be prepared to ruin the ones you have on now.  Your choice." 

 

Sarah walked over and sat down between them with a sigh, not even waiting this time for Will to help pull the chair out.  "Will, his breakfast is getting cold; can't it at least wait until he's eaten first?"

 

Will huffed out an exasperated breath as he picked up his ivory-colored stoneware mug and took a sip of his coffee.  "Fine," he finally uttered to Sarah's relief.  With one last swallow, he pushed himself back from the table.  "It can wait until you're done eating; but I expect you in the barn in 30 minutes - no excuses."  With that, he carried his plate and mug silently over to the sink to rinse it off before walking briskly over to the adjacent laundry room.  A few seconds later Brian and his aunt heard the creaking of the screen door as Will pushed it open and slammed it shut behind him.

 

Sarah let out a sigh as she turned to eye her nephew with sympathy.  "He can be pretty gruff at times," she explained with a slight smile.  "But he's really not a vindictive or mean person, Brian.  He just has high standards and has had to work hard all his life.  He expects the same from everyone else."

 

"Maybe," Brian grumbled in admission, finding it somewhat easier to talk to his aunt than his uncle.  "But he still treats me like the shit he's demanding that I work with out there."

 

To his slight surprise, his normally congenial aunt's eyes flashed in consternation as she scolded him, "Brian, I may not be so ‘colorful' with the English language as you are or come from the big city, but I do not approve of that language in my presence.  And your uncle is a decent man, despite what you might think.  He's...he's had a difficult time over the past few years."  She debated for a moment, wondering just how much detail to go into before she added more softly, "He...We lost a son three years ago; our only son.  Our only child."  She bit her lip, tears stinging her eyes as she explained, "He was our miracle baby.  I had miscarried twice before Dale came along and I was told by the doctor that I couldn't have any more children.  Just when we had learned to accept that, I found out I was pregnant again.  We were overjoyed when I was able to carry him to full term and give birth to a healthy boy."

 

She was lost in another time as her gaze drifted over toward the window, her mind's eye seeing her son when he was a lot younger.  "He was very mischievous and so full of life; he always loved to go exploring around the farm and just being a fun-loving boy. He had a tender heart; he was always bringing home a stray animal.  That's how we wound up with Solomon; he followed him home one day and he never left."

 

Brian frowned.  "Solomon?"

 

Sarah nodded.  "He's our son's beagle.  He's around here somewhere; he likes to go exploring at night and normally comes home early the next day when it's time for breakfast.  He's kind of a free spirit, much like Dale was."  Right on cue, there was a sharp ‘yelp' by the back screen door as Sarah rose with a smile from her chair and walked over to greet him.  "Look at you!" Brian heard her gently scold him.  "What have you been into this time?"

 

Sarah opened the door to grab onto Solomon's collar and pull him a few feet over to the laundry tub.  "Hang on, Solomon; I need to wipe your paws first."  She grabbed one of their more threadbare towels she always kept hanging over the lip of the tub for just this purpose and began to lift each paw to wipe the water and mud from the dog's feet.  Rubbing the side of his head affectionately afterward, she murmured, "There...that's better," as the dog happily wagged his tail at her.  She rehung the towel over the side of the laundry tub and stood up to walk toward the kitchen, Solomon rushing along ahead of her.

 

Brian's eyes widened slightly as a tri-color, medium-sized beagle rushed up to him and furiously wagged his tail at him.  The dog began to sniff his leg curiously, excited to see new company.   Not accustomed to being around animals, he tentatively reached his hand over to rub the top of the dog's head, surprised to see how soft the hair felt.  He gave the dog a couple of scratches there before he dropped his hand back to his thigh.  Solomon, satisfied with his cursory examination of their guest, trotted over toward the window and began to sniff his presently empty food bowl as he glanced back at his owner.

 

Sarah laughed softly.  "I'm coming, you food hog.  Give me a second."  She and Brian exchanged a smile of amusement as she walked over and reached up into the cupboard next to the sink to retrieve a medium-sized bag of dry dog food.  Pouring some into his food dish, Solomon immediately began to crunch down vigorously on his breakfast. 

 

Replacing the food back into the cupboard, Sarah turned to her nephew.  "He seems to like you," she observed.  "He's normally a little hesitant around people he doesn't know, but he doesn't seem that way with you."  Walking over to sit down next to Brian, she said, "Better be prepared to have a shadow following you around this summer."  Her smile faltered a little as she added, "I think you remind him of Dale.  He worshipped him so much and never let him out of his sight while he was at home.  He loves me and Will, and we're glad we still have a part of our son with us, but I know he still misses him...Just like we do, too." 

 

Brian's heart lurched a little over the obvious sorrow in his aunt's voice.  Even though he didn't know her well at all, it didn't take much to realize how much she still missed her son.  "How...how did he die?" he found himself asking, unable to resist.

 

Sarah let out a ragged breath as she averted her gaze away, wondering if she should go into too much detail.  It was one thing to describe her son when he was vibrant and alive; it was another to talk about the way he died.  And she knew how impatient Will was since Dale had died and how late it was getting.  She finally turned her attention back to her nephew and shook her head with an apologetic sort of smile.  "Some other time," she begged off, hoping he would understand.  "Your uncle's waiting for you.  You'd best be getting out to the barn." 

 

Brian studied her for a moment, still wondering how someone apparently around his own age could have died so young, but realizing that for whatever reason his aunt didn't want to discuss it.  He nodded as he pushed himself back from his chair and took one last swallow of his juice to finish it off.  He started to grab his plate to take it over to the sink, but his aunt took it from him, along with the glass.

 

"You go ahead," she told him as she swallowed the painful lump in her throat that had arisen over talk of her son.  "I'll take care of this."

Brian nodded as he stood up and proceeded to leave, finding himself being followed closely by a four-legged shadow just like his aunt had guessed he would.  Brian rolled his eyes down at the dog as he muttered, "Great.  I not only get to work with shit, but I get the pleasure of your company, too, huh?"  He shook his head in resignation as the dog wagged his tail in response, finding it not that bad that at least _someone_ seemed to like him as he hurried up the steps to go change his shoes. 

 

* * *

 

Justin sighed as he hefted the paintbrushes and five-gallon bucket of paint onto the back of the utility vehicle his family used for trips around the farm.  Normally he would just hop onto one of their horses to travel where he needed to go, but with the equipment he needed today to finish painting the fence adjacent to the Walker property it was too much for him to handle with a horse.  Jared and their father had left about thirty minutes ago to go into town and Vic was busy tending to the animals in the stable, leaving him with the tedious job of finishing up what the three of them had started yesterday. 

 

As he started up the vehicle that resembled an industrial version of a golf cart, he slowly drove toward the far edge of their property, as always observing his surroundings for any scenery or subjects he could use for another sketch.  He always kept a sketchpad handy wherever he went for just that purpose, finding a lot of inspiration in his daily encounters on the farm.  Several times, in fact, he had drawn one or more of their horses as they grazed peacefully in one of the fields or romped playfully among themselves while they rejoiced in being out in the open pasture of the farm.   Whenever they chased each other around like they were playing tag or took off in a full gallop, seemingly for no other reason than they were happy to be alive and free, it always brought a smile to his face. 

 

Now as he came closer and closer to the Walker farm, his heart began to race a little, knowing that the gorgeous boy he had seen yesterday was somewhere inside the house.  He wondered what he would do if he should run into him?  He hadn't thought about that earlier, not realizing which part of their property his father would send him to in order to finish up the painting.   He couldn't say he was exactly disappointed where it wound up being, however, since the Walker house sat back a hundred yards or so from the fence line, with the barn even closer, although it made him nervous, too.  As the quiet vehicle crept closer and closer to the fence, he could see that the two, tall wooden barn doors were swung wide open and there was a figure inside, sitting on a milking stool with his back to him. 

As he slowed the vehicle down to a stop and turned it off, he could clearly hear someone spewing forth with a string of swear words; that instantly told him that the figure inside the barn wasn't Will Walker.  As far as he knew the man had never uttered so much as a ‘darn' or a ‘shoot' in his life, much less the words being thrown out presently.  That, along with the dark hair and lean frame of the man he was presently observing told him that this wasn't his neighbor but their nephew, the very same boy he had had such an intense dream about last night and couldn't get out of his mind since seeing him for the first time yesterday.  His pulse began to race and his eyes couldn't turn away from the sight as he stared over at the boy whose back was to him.  He listened in rapt fascination to his sexy tone of voice, currently muttering all sorts of profanities.  Silently he climbed up onto the six-foot fence, using one of the split rails for leverage as he sat with his legs dangling over the top and enjoyed the luxury of observing the other boy secretly without his knowledge, finding the courage to do so only because he knew Brian didn't know he was being watched.

 

It was only after he could make out what the other boy was saying that he realized why he was so angry, and he had to bite back the laugh that threatened to escape his throat. 

 

"Damn it to hell!" Brian barked out in disgust as he banged the metal pail onto the straw-strewn floor of the barn.  "Fuck!  What is _wrong_ with you?" he asked.  The only response he got was a slow, lazy swing of the cow's black and white head as one huge eye stared down at him.  To Brian it appeared that the cow was silently mocking him for his ineptness.  When his uncle had left him a while ago with the admonishment that when he came back he expected the cow to be milked, Brian had decided this was better than the alternative option of raking out the stalls that he had been given.  Now, however, as he tugged at the cow's teats and nothing happened, he was getting more and more frustrated.  "This is fucking ridiculous!" he shouted out as sighed in disgust.  "I know there's _something_ in there!"

 

A sound he recognized as a musical sort of cross between a giggle and a laugh caused Brian to quickly twist his head around; instantly the day became a lot more interesting as he observed a boy sitting on the fence straddling the Walker property and the Taylor farm next door.  It was the smaller, blond-haired boy with the delectably curved ass he had observed yesterday.  He noticed the boy flushing in embarrassment as he realized he had been caught watching him.  He quickly rose to his feet, wiping his hands off on his jeans as he called over, "You think this is funny?" 

 

Justin clamped a hand over his mouth as he realized what he had done; his eyes widened and his heart thumped in his chest as the boy swaggered over toward him, followed by the Walker's dog, Solomon, who had been curled up nearby on the floor.  _God, he was even more gorgeous than yesterday_!  He was wearing a pair of tight jeans that seemed to have been tailor-made for him, along with a black tee shirt that molded to his chest, revealing his flat abdomen and trim waist.  The sleeves of the tee shirt were pushed up to his elbows, revealing some bronze skin underneath, and he was wearing a pair of black sneakers.  Justin was convinced he was the most exquisite boy he had ever seen, and his entire body tingled in a way he had never experienced before.  He eyed the boy closely as Brian walked up to him, nervous as hell but unable to avert his gaze away from him. 

 

Brian smirked as he noticed a pink flush creep up on the other boy's cheeks.  He made a mental note that this one would be all too easy to capture if he caused that reaction merely by looking at him.  Perhaps he would be first on his list to fuck, then, rather than the older one.  This was going to be all too easy.  This boy had ‘inexperienced' and ‘virgin' written all over him, and he could tell that he already had him under his spell; not surprising, actually, he thought.  He _always_ had that effect on other boys.  He was almost disappointed at how easy this was going to be, though; the chase was almost as sweet as the conquest to him.  Maybe he wouldn't even have to wait until tonight to have his first taste of the Taylor boys.

 

"You always go around spying on other people...uh, _Justin_?" he addressed the other boy by name as he deliberately encroached on the blond's space to throw him off balance, splaying his hands to either side of the petite body and resting them, palms down, on the roughness of the wooden fence rail.  He was inches away from Justin's body and was finding it almost impossible not to touch him.  He could see how incredibly blue the boy's eyes were now - the shade of a calm, mid-spring sky, he decided - and his lips; that full, bottom lip especially was made just for grabbing onto and sucking...And that creamy-colored skin - God, so smooth.  He wondered how it would feel to touch that skin with the pads of his fingers...or his lips...He could feel his cock stirring merely at the thought.

 

Justin swallowed hard in response to Brian's audacity and his closeness, a movement that did not go unnoticed by his tormentor as the other boy's eyes darkened in telltale reaction.  He couldn't recall ever seeing someone that looked as magnificent as this boy, but at the same time he was still insulted over his insinuation that he had come out here merely to ogle him and that provided him with just enough chutzpah to resist the temptation to reach out and touch him.

 

Brian listened in surprise as the other boy actually flashed his eyes at him in defiance and told him stiffly, "I wasn't spying on you!  I'm out here to paint our fence!"  Justin was scared as hell inside and his heart was hammering a mile a minute, but he wasn't going to let the other boy know that.  The thought of being looked upon as some scared little faggot kid - or a stalker of some kind - didn't sit too well with him.  And it was the truth - he didn't _know_ Brian would be out here, not that he was complaining especially.

 

Brian's eyes examined the fence, noting that it was, indeed, one of the few areas that did not appear to be freshly painted, so perhaps this boy was telling the truth.  Nonetheless, he felt a need to bait him anyway, simply because he could.  "I think you just wanted a closer look at me," he told him as Justin blushed an even darker shade of red.  _Too easy..._ He smirked.  "Everyone always does."

 

Justin huffed in irritation.  Yes, the boy was gorgeous, but he was also apparently very conceited.  He snorted, pretending to be a lot braver than he really was as he replied sarcastically, "I'm sure they do in the big city.  Out here, though, we value skills more than looks, and when it comes to milking cows your rather considerable _talents_ evidently leave a lot to be desired."

 

Brian had the gall to laugh at his comment as he remarked dryly, "Is that so?  Well, then, I humbly bow to your expertise," he told him as he bowed at the waist.   He slowly backed away from Justin and placed his hands on his hips as he stood facing him.  "Well, come on - let's see how it's done, Farmer Brown," he replied, snickering at the affronted look on Justin's face.   His brows rose in question as Justin remained rooted to his spot before he asked, "What?  Can't get down from there without my help?"

 

He held his hands out to indicate he would be more than happy to catch his fall, but Justin merely glared at him before promptly jumping down from his position without any assistance.  Brian laughed as the other boy pursed his lips together in aggravation, finding the look quite endearing.  Of course, Brian wasn't about to let HIM know that, however.  He held out his hand toward the barn.  "Well, Maestro, show me the proper technique, then." 

 

He deliberately waited for Justin to lead, wanting to savor the view as he followed along behind him, openly admiring the way that the other boy's jeans brushed up tightly against his ass and finding himself wanting desperately to plunge his cock where the denim lay draped across those two, perfectly-rounded cheeks. 

Justin's _other_ cheeks were burning as he walked toward the Walker's dairy cow; without even turning around, he had a feeling he knew exactly what Brian was doing, and the thought both excited him as well as scared the shit out of him.  Why did he feel like he was playing with fire all of a sudden?  What exactly did HE know about seduction?  And more importantly, who was doing the seducing here - him or Brian?  He forced himself to focus on the task at hand as he walked up to the bovine and sat down on the small, slate gray wooden stool.  He reached up with his right hand and stroked the animal's udder slowly in a circular pattern as he spoke to her soothingly.  "Ready to give me some milk, Girl?" he cooed softly.  "Hmm?" 

 

Brian pulled his lighter and his cigarettes out of his pocket to retrieve one and ignite the end, standing there in amusement over the way the other boy was talking so affectionately to a _cow_.  Placing the Zippo and the remainder of the pack into his pocket, he took a deep drag before he drawled, "What the fuck are you doing feeling up a cow?  It must get pretty desperate out here."  _Although I can't imagine why_ , he couldn't help thinking sarcastically.  _If I were around here permanently, though, you'd be feeling up something ELSE..._

 

Justin huffed out an exasperated breath, explaining, "The udder is a muscle, Brian.  You have to do this in order to relax the cow and allow the milk to flow."  He reached for the metal pail sitting nearby to place it underneath the cow's teats.  "That's the way, Checkers," he told the cow with a soft voice.  Feeling confident the animal was relaxed as she would ever be, he stole a glance over at Brian as he instructed him, "You have to take your thumb and your middle finger and squeeze the teat between the base and the udder to trap the milk there."  To demonstrate, he placed his hands over two of the four teats and squeezed firmly at the base as a small amount of milk oozed out of the hole. 

 

Brian couldn't resist the grin that spread over his face over the earnest lecture he was receiving from the other boy, thinking it looked remarkably like something else he was quite familiar with.  "Oh," he said, elongating the ‘oh' part.  "Why didn't you tell me it's like jerking someone off?  I'm a master at that!"

 

Justin blushed a deep shade of red and his eyes flashed in aggravation.  "No, it's NOT like jerking off, you moron!  You don't PULL on the teats, you squeeze them!  That's why you weren't getting any milk before!"  He sighed as Brian laughed, making him even more aggravated.  "I can't believe I'm even bothering," he muttered to himself as he turned his back on the older boy and began to squeeze the teats in earnest.  A steady but narrow stream of milk began to squirt out, landing in the bucket with a distinctive ping as it hit the empty, metal bottom.  After a few tries, the milk volume increased as Justin kept up a steady pace, alternating with squirts from both hands as the milk made a regular whoosh, whoosh sound into the bucket.

 

Brian took another drag on his cigarette as he watched the long-fingered hands of the other boy do their magic; he couldn't help wondering just what sort of ‘magic' those hands could produce on HIM as he said, "You country boys sure know how to use your hands.  How about when you get done you demonstrate on ME?" 

 

Justin's heart pounded in his ears at the inherent invitation in that sultry voice.  His hands shook slightly as he somehow managed to keep milking the cow and ignore the not-so-subtle invitation, despite the emotions the other boy was generating in him.  Was he deliberately goading him because he realized how inexperienced he was?  Yeah, the guy was hot; VERY hot.   No doubt the most magnificent specimen of male perfection he had ever seen in his young life, in fact.  But there was something almost condescending and haughty in that voice that riled him, like he knew he couldn't resist him.  Besides, he had a sinking feeling that as soon as Jared was done with him, he would be promptly forgotten.  Did he want to be someone's throwaway fuck, someone to be toyed with and just discarded for someone better - like his own brother? 

 

Justin set his jaw as he glanced over at the cocky-looking expression on Brian's face and smiled, a sweet, disarming smile, one that caused Brian's eyes to widen in surprise in its intensity; he had never seen a smile so glorious in all his life and it made his heart skip a beat. 

 

"How about I demonstrate my skills on you NOW?" Justin answered seductively as he twisted his both wrists just enough to squirt some milk in Brian's direction. 

 

Brian jumped back in stunned surprise as the warm substance hit him squarely in the face.  "What the fuck?" he sputtered as he blinked his eyes a few times in an attempt to get the milk out of them.  He finally took the sleeve of his tee shirt and managed to wipe the milk away as he glared over at the laughing face of his tormentor, feeling humiliated that he had been caught - at least figuratively - with his pants down.  He wasn't used to being surprised or taken unaware and it made him angry as hell - but also just a little impressed, too.  "You little shit!" he growled at the other boy as he walked toward him with the intention of grabbing him by the arm and shaking him - maybe even kissing him, too, for his daring.  He was startled, however, when another stream of milk came arching itself expertly over onto his shirt this time, followed by another giggle from his attacker. 

 

"Now THAT'S funny!" Justin replied, his face breaking out into an even more radiant smile.  "Now you're an official country hick yourself; welcome to Kentucky... _City Boy_!" 

 

Brian's mouth hung open at the audacity of this brat; this beautiful, feisty, _adorably_ sexy brat.  He was just a kid, though...wasn't he?  If he was, however, why was he feeling these very grown-up feelings for him?  And despite his drenched, no doubt ridiculous-looking appearance, why was he feeling a sudden need to wipe that smirk off the fucker's face by smashing his lips against his?  His intention must have been broadcast quite clearly, because as he slowly walked toward the other boy with an odd sort of predatory smile on his face Justin ceased his milking and stood up to face him, his own smile fading from his face to be replaced with something akin to fear and shyness.

 

"Uh...I'd better be going," Justin said as he bit his lip and slowly backed away from Brian.  "You...You saw how I did it; you can finish it up now.  My mom will be wondering where I am."  Actually that was a bold-faced lie.  He knew his mother had mentioned going over to tend to her beehives while he was painting, and they were located on the other side of the house; there was no possible way she could even see him from there, then.  Brian didn't know that, however. 

 

"I thought you had to finish painting the fence?" Brian reminded him softly as he continued to advance on the other boy, wondering if Justin knew he was backing up against several bales of hay behind him. 

 

Justin retreated further in synchronization with Brian's advance just like a well-choreographed dance before his ass bumped up against something scratchy and he had to stop, realizing with dread that he had miscalculated and run into a brick wall - or at least a wall made of hay.  His eyes widened as Brian came closer and closer...Suddenly he knew how a field mouse must feel up against one of their barn cats back home.  Brian was now so close he could smell the other boy's intriguing after-shave and feel his breath on his face as he placed his hands on Justin's shoulders and firmly dug into his flesh.   Justin felt like the other boy's touch was burning his skin right through his thin tee shirt as he watched Brian's face come closer and closer.  His eyes instinctively fluttered closed in anticipation of how it would feel to have the other boy's lips on his as he prepared to surrender to the inevitable...

 

"Brian!  You out there?" 

 

The words from Brian's Aunt Sarah came filtering abruptly into the barn, having the same effect as cold water being thrown in Justin's face as his startled eyes flew open and he realized what he had been about to do.  Flushing in embarrassment over the fact that he had almost become a willing pawn in this other boy's manipulations, he used the momentary diversion to deftly break from Brian's grasp, breathlessly mumbling, "I have to go - I need to finish painting the fence," before he rushed from the barn, coming head-to-head with Brian's aunt who was searching for him. 

 

Sarah's face registered surprise at their unexpected visitor.  "Justin!" she greeted him with a perplexed expression; she glanced behind him into the barn, not seeing any sign of Brian.  "I didn't expect to run into you."

 

"Hello, Mrs. Walker," Justin replied, praying his face wasn't as red and flushed as he thought it was.  His pulse was still racing over his near encounter with the woman's nephew.  He furiously tried to come up with an explanation as to what exactly he was doing over here as he told her, "I...I was working on painting the rest of our fence and noticed Brian needed a little help with milking Checkers."  Justin never did understand why a black-and-white cow was named _Checkers_ , but the large bovine had been called that for as long as he could remember so the name had stuck. 

 

Sarah relaxed a little bit, feeling that explanation was more than plausible when it came to Justin.  They had lived next to the Taylors for a long time, and she had watched both of the boys grow up literally before her eyes.  She felt very fond of this kind, more tender-hearted boy; as far as his older brother went, though, she was ambivalent about him.  Jared could be helpful at times when he wanted to be and it suited his purposes - after Dale had died, she had to grudgingly admit that the boy had been invaluable in helping to harvest their crop of wheat that year with the combine.  But she always felt that it had been due more to his love of complex machinery rather than some sense of altruism.  Justin, on the other hand, had always been the more sensitive of the two, never hesitating when she asked him to do something and always checking up on her and Will regularly to make sure they didn't need any help.  It would be just like Justin to offer to help Brian with milking their cow, then. 

 

She smiled at him warmly as she replied, "That was very kind of you, Justin.  Is he in the barn?"

 

Justin nodded, still shaken up by his encounter with her devastatingly handsome nephew.  "Yeah...I think he's over by the hay bales."

 

Sarah nodded back at him.  "Thanks.  We'll see you at supper later?" 

 

Justin swallowed hard, suddenly remembering that the Walkers - and Brian - were coming over for dinner at their house later that evening.  How in the hell was he going to face Brian again with a straight face after what had just almost happened?  He knew, though, that unless he suddenly became deathly ill there was no way he could avoid it.  The only thing he could hope for, then, was that he wound up sitting as far away from the other boy as possible.  There was no way he could look him in the eyes now without imagining all sorts of scenarios between the two of them.  In fact, if he didn't get out of there right now, he could quite possibly wind up being embarrassed by the beginnings of a hard on he was starting to feel that had been created merely by thinking about the other boy.  "Yeah," he hastily told her as he turned around.  "I have to go back to work now.  I'll see you later."

 

"Thanks again, Justin," Sarah called after him as the boy quickly walked away, wondering why he seemed so flustered but finally chalking it up to the boy being a little on the shy side.  She turned around after a few seconds to go in search of her nephew, hoping he had been working on the chores that her husband had assigned him.

 

Brian stood just inside the barn, unable to avoid overhearing the conversation that had transpired between his aunt and the youngest Taylor boy.  He smiled as he heard Justin telling her he would be present for dinner later.  _You can run for now, Little Boy.  Yeah...run home to your sanctuary._   But as he walked back over to the cow and this time succeeded in producing some milk from her, he knew it wouldn't be long now.  No, not long at all.  Paraphrasing John Denver, he couldn't help thinking with a smile, _Thank God I'm a country boy..._


	4. Shoes...Or Pottery Barn?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During dinner, Brian gets to know the Taylor boys a little better...the only question is, which one will he 'sample' first?

_5:00 p.m.  - Taylor House_

_  
_

Jennifer hastily wiped her flour-laden hands on a half-apron as she heard the banging of the back screen door leading into the kitchen; she briefly turned away from watching the lemon meringue pie baking in the oven to observe her youngest son shuffling wearily towards her.  She sighed, noticing Justin's denim pants were flecked with slivers of white paint; he even had some smeared on his cheek along with his hands.  " _Another_ pair?" she inquired resignedly.  "Why didn't you wear the same ones you painted in yesterday?"

 

Justin shrugged.  "They were dirty."

 

His mother let out an exasperated huff.  "Justin..."  She shook her head, knowing she was fighting a losing battle.  It wasn't that they couldn't afford to buy him a new pair of jeans, but it seemed so wasteful nonetheless.  "You'd better go shower and get changed; the Walkers will be over in about an hour.  Did you get done with the painting?"

 

Justin nodded, trying to keep his mind off the ‘diversion' he had encountered earlier in the day, because it would just remind him that said diversion would be in their house and in near proximity shortly.  Their dining room table accommodated a total of eight people, more than enough to comfortably seat all of them.  No matter where Brian sat, though, it would still be way too close for _his_ comfort.

 

"Are Jared and Dad back from town yet?" he asked, noticing how quiet the house seemed.

 

Jennifer shook her head as she retrieved a long-handled wooden spoon from the beef pot roast and vegetables she was cooking on the stove and blew on the sample before taking a taste.  She placed the spoon back down in the pot and reached for the shaker of salt to sprinkle some more into the mixture before she told him, "Not yet.  I hope they get here soon, though, or they'll be late for supper."

 

Justin snorted.  "You know what it usually means when they're running late..."

 

Jennifer sighed.  "Yes, I know."  She paused, unable to get the rest of her statement out over the loud rattling they heard directly outside.  "Not another one..." she murmured as she hurriedly placed the pot roast on "low" to simmer and the two of them walked over to the screen door just in time to observe Craig's red pickup truck lumbering up the dirt driveway with an older model vehicle in tow behind it.   Peeling green paint and all, it looked like something straight out of a Bonnie and Clyde robbery from the 30's.

 

"Looks like somebody got his way again," Justin muttered as the truck came to a stop and Jared eagerly disembarked from the vehicle to walk back with his father and inspect their latest project.  He loved his brother - there was no question about that - and his father; but it seemed that too often his older brother got the bulk of their father's attention.  Helping to earn money in the family by being the main jockey in their horse races apparently wasn't enough to impress either one of them.

 

He felt his mother's hand on his shoulder as she gave it a sympathetic squeeze and told him softly, "Better go take your shower, Honey; I'm sure your father and Jared will need to do the same before supper and you know how the hot water runs out really fast around here."

 

Justin watched Jared and his father talking animatedly about what would be their newest restoration project as they stooped down together to examine the older vehicle's tires, each one with a big smile of delight on their face.  Sighing softly as he turned away from the sight, he nodded and silently turned to trudge down the hallway toward the upstairs.

 

Jennifer turned to watch him go, her heart going out to her more tender-hearted son.  It wasn't that Craig didn't love both sons; but sometimes in the dark recesses of her mind, she couldn't help questioning if that love was a little disproportional.  Maybe that wasn't fair; perhaps he did love both sons equally.  But it did seem that her husband spent more time on a regular basis with Jared on their various car restorations and gave him more attention than he did their other son.  Jared had been born after a difficult delivery; he had come into the world with a hole in his heart that had needed to be repaired.  For a time it wasn't clear if he would even survive.  When he pulled through, though, the two of them had decided to name him after Craig's father.  Perhaps that served to bond the two of them closer together.  But at times Jennifer feared that it also caused Craig to sometimes overlook their other son, although she refused to believe it was intentional.  As she watched the two of them admiring the '37 Ford and making plans for what they would do to revive it to its former glory, however, she silently resolved to discuss that concern with her husband at her first opportunity.

 

"Craig?  Jared?  It's getting late," she called out to them through the screen door.  "You'd best be getting in to dress for supper."

 

Craig nodded, not quite looking forward to hosting the Walkers - and their rebellious nephew - this evening, but knowing that he dare not protest to Jennifer; when she had something in mind to do, it was fruitless to complain about it.  Before their son's death, Will Walker had actually been quite a pleasant conversationalist; the two of them had had a lot in common and had spent many a day engaging in talks over the common fence they shared between them.  After Dale's demise, however, the man had shut up tighter than a drum.  Now it was normally like pulling teeth to engage in any sort of discussion with him.  He wasn't looking forward to all the uncomfortable silences that he knew would follow if he tried to talk to him tonight.  Perhaps it was just as well, then, that this Kinney boy was coming with them.  At least that might liven things up a little.

 

Wiping his hands off on his jeans Craig walked over to open the screen door, immediately smelling Jen's signature beef pot roast and noticing his favorite dessert, lemon meringue pie, through the glass door of the oven.    Taking a moment to kiss his wife on the cheek, he inhaled the distinctive citrus aroma.  "Really going all out for this supper, aren't you?" he observed.  "I thought this was supposed to be something informal."

 

"It is," Jennifer told him.  "I just wanted to make sure their nephew felt welcome."  She glanced over her shoulder as the screen door banged open and Jared came loping in, wiping his hands off on a white rag covered in what appeared to be grease.

 

"Jared...You have grease all over your hands!" she told her son in dismay; even his fingernails were black.  "Couldn't you have waited to tinker with the car later?"

 

Jared smirked as he shrugged.  "What can I say?  It's a sickness, Mom."

 

Jennifer shook her head, not amused by the reply.  To her relief Craig backed her up by growling, "Don't disrespect your mother, Jared, and do as she says.  Go get ready for supper."

 

Jared huffed in irritation, but he knew better than to countermand his father's stern order.  "Yes, Sir," he replied glumly as he left to trudge over to the steps to go upstairs, the rag thrown haphazardly into the garbage along the way.

 

Jennifer sighed as she turned her attention back to the stove.  "You coddle him too much, Craig," she told her husband.  "If you keep doing that, he will never learn to have patience or work very hard for what he wants."

 

Craig walked over to the sink to wash his hands, squirting some of the liquid soap into his palm.  "He does work hard, Jen," he told her.  "He's still a kid; he'll have plenty of time to get mired down in a 9-5 job when he gets a little older.   Let him have a little fun with his cars in the meantime; that's hard work, you know," he pointed out as he dried his hands on a paper towel and threw it in the garbage can hidden under the sink.  "Those cars don't fix themselves; there's a lot involved with restoring them.  And we've made some good money off them, too," he hastened to add.

 

Jennifer stirred the pot roast briefly before she turned to face her husband with barely-concealed exasperation.  "Craig, he's not a kid anymore.  He's nineteen years old and doesn't seem to be worried about his future.  He barely graduated from high school - thanks in no small part to his brother helping to tutor him through it - and except for those old cars he's constantly working on he doesn't seem to have any ambition at all.  He needs to start thinking about how he's going to support himself.  We won't always be here to take care of him."

 

Craig placed his hands on his hips as he blew out a weary breath.  "Jen, let's not start on that again tonight, okay?  As much as I'm not especially looking forward to it, we're going to have company soon and I need to go wash up.  Let's put that issue to rest for some other time."

 

How many times had they discussed this subject? Craig wondered.  He just couldn't understand the urgency with their oldest son.  Perhaps his stance was due in large part to his own parents, who practically pushed him out the door the day after he graduated twenty-five years ago.  His mother and father had been so intent on him rushing into agricultural school right after high school graduation that he had found himself taking summer classes three weeks later.  Even now he could remember how much he had resented not being able to relax and enjoy life a little first, at least for the summer.  That no doubt had a bearing now on why he didn't want to pressure their oldest son into making the same mistake.

 

Jennifer sighed, realizing they were not going to see eye-to-eye on the matter.  "All right.  But Craig, he at least needs to be doing more around the farm while he's not working or going to school; Justin's been forced to take on a lot of extra chores while his brother's been fiddling around with those cars and Justin can't afford to do that.  He really needs to be practicing with Headstrong a lot more before the next race.  And Vic's got his hands full lately with getting the fields ready for planting."  Vic was a big help around their 60 acres of land, but in late spring the biggest push was to get all of their fields plowed and their crops in the ground; that was pretty much a full-time job at the moment.

 

Craig leaned up against the double-kitchen sink as he eyed his determined wife.  "Okay," he finally agreed.  "I'll make sure that Jared takes up some of the slack.  I agree that we can't afford for Headstrong to become stiff from not being ran before next weekend's heats at Red Mile."  The Red Mile was the second oldest harness racing course in the country, having been constructed in 1875 in nearby Lexington.  Windswept Farms was renowned for the quality of its harness racing horses and, due in large part to Justin's skill, they had been quite successful in most races they had entered, so much so that their track winnings had been their main source of income for the past three years and had helped to keep them financially afloat.

 

Justin had learned the skill from Vic, who had been quite a good harness racing jockey in his heyday.  But while Vic had the technical skills, know-how and the right stature to be an effective jockey, Justin seemed to have something special.  He had a unique manner with their horses that they seemed to particularly respond to.  He was extraordinarily gentle with them and spoiled them rotten when Vic wasn't around with red delicious apples he picked from the orchard trees that were sprinkled around the grounds.  He would stroke their manes while he murmured encouraging words to them before he hitched them up to the sulky for practice.

 

Craig had initially scoffed at his son's attempt to be a ‘horse whisperer,' never believing in that sort of sappy hocus-pocus with animals, but he had to grudgingly admit that Justin did seem to have some sort of unique bond with them.  Whatever it was, they rewarded his youngest son by frequently placing in most of the races they ran, most of the time not only placing but winning the whole damn thing.  And their average track speed had actually increased in the past few years since his son had begun practicing with them.

 

He glanced over at Jennifer as she nodded, somewhat appeased.  "Good," she told him.  "He can start early tomorrow with cleaning out the stalls."

 

Craig sighed, already anticipating the reaction that would get from his oldest son.  "Oh, he's going to love that," he replied dryly.

 

"I don't care," Jennifer told him as she stirred the pot roast a few more times with the wooden spoon.  "It has to be done and Justin has his hands full.  Just see that he does it, okay?"

 

Craig brushed his hand through his hair.  "Okay," he agreed as he held his hands up in resignation.  "I'll tell him when I go upstairs to shower and change."  Jennifer nodded in satisfaction as she returned to her meal.

 

* * *

_  
_

_Same Time - Walker House_

_  
_

"Boy, what are you doing up there?" Will growled at his nephew as he tapped his foot impatiently at the bottom of the steps.  "We are _not_ going to be late for supper!  Get a move on!"  He was already bristling over Brian's lack of productivity earlier.  When he had checked up on the progress of his chores, he had been dismayed to discover that the boy had only managed to milk their cow and sweep out the barn; all the other tasks he had given him had been cast aside and ignored.  He sighed; his nephew obviously had a lot to learn.

 

Sarah walked up to her restless husband and placed a hand on his arm.  "We have plenty of time, Will," she said quietly, attempting to sooth him.  Since their son had died, he always seemed so restless and agitated anymore.  "It's just next door."

 

"That's just part of it," he told her through gritted teeth, trying to adjust the tight collar of his short-sleeved, plaid cotton shirt.  Why did it feel like his neck had gotten thicker lately?  "Our ‘guest' didn't finish all the chores I gave him earlier, Sarah.  I thought I made it plain that either he's going to have to abide by the rules of this house or he will be shipped back up to Pittsburgh.  I don't have time to waste here, and he's got to carry his load."

 

"William...He's only been here a couple of days; let him get used to the routine first.  I'm sure he'll come around."  Sarah still felt obligated to her sister; the least she could do was try and help straighten her sister's son out before just giving up on him.  And truth be told, they _needed_ the help that someone young and strong like Brian could provide them this summer.  The key, though, would be trying to figure out how to motivate him to do it.

 

Will softly snorted his doubt as he looked up to see their subject sauntering casually down the steps as if he hadn't a care in the world.  Brian was wearing a tight-fitting pair of black jeans, black loafers and a clingy type of bronze-colored shirt that seemed at least one size too small for him; he could see the taut definition of the boy's chest outlined through the fabric.  The entire outfit was totally out of place on a farm, but something told him this boy didn't own any other type of clothing - nor would he care if it was inappropriate.

 

"I'm glad you could take time out of your busy schedule to join us," he called out scornfully to his nephew as Brian walked down to join them.  "Speaking of busy schedules, what exactly did you do today, Brian?" he drilled him.

 

"Will..."

 

"No, Sarah, I want my question answered," her husband countered.

 

Brian glared at his uncle as he tightly grasped the round knob of the step's railing.  "What is this?  An interrogation?  I did what you told me to do; I did my _chores_."  He said the last word as if he were eating something distasteful.  The only good part about his ‘chores' had been the blond assistant ‘milkman' who had come out of virtually nowhere to help him take care of Checkers earlier.  That was the only thing that had been even remotely pleasant about today.  He scowled, thinking about how long it had taken him merely to clean the dirt out from underneath his fingernails; already they were starting to get worn and chipped from doing his ‘manual labor.'  For one brief moment he reflected upon whether he would be better off to have been sent to jail after all, but he dismissed that as stupid; despite his abhorrence for all things ‘agricultural' in nature, it still beat having to sit in a cell twenty-three hours a day for the next decade.

 

He turned his attention back to his uncle as Will corrected him, "No, you did NOT do your chores; there's several tasks you seemed to have overlooked - or should I say _ignored_?  I thought I had made it clear that this was not going to be a walk in the park here.  I need HELP on this farm, Brian; not some prima ballerina who's afraid to get his hands dirty."  He felt his wife squeeze his arm in a subtle attempt to tell him to back off, but he wouldn't have it.  "You're either going to have to commit yourself to doing what I need done and contribute to the upkeep here or you can just pack your bags now and go back where you came from.  Which is it going to be?  The choice is up to you."

 

Sarah bit her lip, torn between not alienating her sister's son and knowing that Will was right; Brian _wasn't_ fulfilling his part of their agreement.  If he kept on just sliding by in an attempt to do just enough to get by, it would not only anger her husband but also create a lot of stress on all of them, not to mention that Joan would be extremely disappointed not only in her son but also in her for not being able to do what she had promised to do.  "Can we discuss this after supper, Will?" she finally asked softly.  "It doesn't have to be resolved right now."

 

But Will stood there defiantly and succeeded in blocking Brian's way.  "Yes, it does," he insisted as he stared unflinchingly at his nephew who was a few inches taller than he was.  "I'm waiting for your promise to keep your word, Boy; and this time it'd better be a sincere one."

 

Brian bristled at the condescension.  "I told you before, _Uncle_...my name is NOT Boy!  I am NOT from a fucking Tarzan movie!  If you expect ME to treat you with respect, I expect the same!"

 

"Will...Brian," Sarah beseeched, her eyes pleading as she moved to stand between them.  Why did things always seem to spiral out of control with these two?  "Please..."

 

Will turned to his wife, his jaw set and eyes dark with irritation.  "Wait outside, Sarah.  We'll be along shortly."  She hesitated, the concern evident on her face as he tilted his head toward the door.  "Do as I say," he said with deadly calm.  She paused for a moment in indecision before, giving Brian a slight smile of reassurance, she nodded in agreement and turned to leave.  Will waited several seconds more until he could hear his wife stepping through the back door before he turned his attention back to his insolent house guest.

 

He exhaled a deep breath in an attempt to calm down as he stared into his nephew's stubborn face, feeling furious over Brian's lack of cooperation but also just a little mortified by his own behavior.  He didn't _always_ used to be so difficult to get along with.  He knew his son's untimely, unexpected death a few years ago had changed him in ways he wasn't always proud of.  It had made him cynical, bitter, angry, and a stranger sometimes to others, even to himself.  But this kid succeeded in intensifying those emotions in him and seemed to almost delight in goading him at every turn.  Was his reaction, though, due to how much Brian reminded him of his own son?  Both were fiercely strong-willed and independent to a fault.

 

He shook his head slightly in admission.  That probably had a lot to do with it.  But it still didn't mitigate the fact that his nephew wasn't holding up his end of the bargain.  He sighed as Brian remained standing by the staircase, rigid and silent.

 

Trying the reasonable approach this time, he began, "Look... _Brian_.  I need help around here - a lot of help.  And I'm sure you don't want to spend the next ten years in jail, which is what's going to happen if you don't start cooperating more.  I thought we had reached an agreement over supper last night that you would keep your promise to help out here.  Sarah and I can't afford to have an extra mouth to feed all summer long without you doing your share; we aren't rich by any means and need all the income we can get.  Surely you can understand that?"  Perhaps he couldn't, Will thought silently.  Perhaps this boy had been coddled way too much by his parents to know what it felt like to live from month to month, although from what little interaction he had experienced with Joan and Jack Kinney, they didn't exactly seem like the nurturing or extravagant types.

 

Brian pursed his lips together tightly; just the thought of spending all summer long doing dirty, filthy chores with four-legged beasts who did nothing but eat, sleep, and shit did not sound like a wonderful experience to him.  But it _was_ preferable to the alternative, though, as much as it pained him.  His hand tightened on the smooth, wooden knob of the staircase as he turned his head to look out at the front yard, noticing one of the tall but spindly trees slowly blowing in the gentle, early summer breeze as he considered his alternatives.

 

Brian turned his attention back to his uncle after several seconds and held his hands up in surrender.  "Okay, okay," he grudgingly grumbled.  "Truce.  I'll do the damn chores."

 

His uncle rolled his eyes; _one step forward, two steps backward_.  "I told you about the profanity..."

 

Brian brushed his hand through his hair in agitation.  "Fine, whatever," he told him with a huff.  "Can we go now?"  _Anything to get away from this boring conversation..._

_  
_

"Will?  Brian?  Please, let's get moving," Sarah entreated through the back screen door, somewhat relieved not to hear some sort of heated argument arising from inside the house.  "We'll be late if we don't leave right away, and that would be inconsiderate."

 

"Yeah, Uncle, that would be inconsiderate," Brian agreed sarcastically.  "Are we done here?"

 

Will shook his head in aggravation as he advised, "Apparently we are," he replied, not rising to the bait this time.  "But I'll expect you downstairs tomorrow at 6:00 for breakfast; better get a good night's sleep tonight after we get back - you're going to need it."  With that, he turned and began to walk determinedly down the hallway toward the door.  "Let's go, Brian; unless you want to stay and clean out the chicken coop instead."

 

_Yeah...right...working up to his elbows in chicken shit_ , _or the chance to get to know the Taylor boys a lot better..._ At least that was certainly a no-brainer of a choice.  Unbuttoning one more of his buttons on the satiny shirt, he paused for a couple of seconds in front of an oval-framed mirror to admire himself.  Hurriedly smoothing back some tousled-looking hair, he nodded in satisfaction.  "Hope you won't fight over me, boys," he said with a smirk as he turned to follow his uncle out the back door.

 

* * *

 

_  
_

_Five Minutes Later - Taylor House_

_  
_

Jennifer gratefully smiled at her youngest son as he came into the kitchen, his blond hair a little darker while it was still damp from his shower.  "Justin, would you please go in the dining room and set the table?  Jared and your father aren't down yet, and I'm afraid the Walkers will be here any minute now."  She glanced over the door at their clock, noting the time; a couple of minutes before six.  There was still a lot to do, but at the moment, though, she had her hands full transferring the beef pot roast to a large serving platter while keeping an eye on the loaf of homemade bread she had warming in the oven along with the pie.

 

Justin nodded as he walked over to the buffet in the adjacent dining room to open the top drawer, knowing his mother was wanting him to get out their ‘good' china they reserved only for company; any other time they would be eating out of the more inexpensive, everyday plates kept in the kitchen cupboard to the right of the sink.

 

As he began to place a supper and bread plate in front of each chair, along with silverware and a crystal beverage glass, he thought back to his meeting earlier in the barn with Brian and felt his forehead breaking out into a light sweat of anxiety over their impending reunion.  He hurriedly wiped his brow with the back of his hand as he finished setting the table, realizing how relatively intimate the table was, even though it could seat eight.  Hell, he knew it wouldn't have mattered if it sat _twenty-eight;_ he would still find himself feeling way too close when Brian showed up.

 

He glanced over at the hallway as he heard footsteps lumbering down the stairs; by the heavy-handed sound he knew it had to be Jared.  Sure enough, a few seconds later his older brother appeared in the doorway, leaning against the jamb and smirking at him.

 

"Doing your assignment for Home EC Class, Squirt?" he teased with a lazy smile.  Justin noticed his brother was dressed up more than normal for supper, instantly ascertaining the reason why and finding that he didn't like it.  Typically Jared would come down to supper (late of course) wearing the same scruffy jeans he had been wearing before, along with a simple, plain, form-fitting tee shirt he had rescued from wherever he had last thrown it, or some shirt with an old car on it that resembled something out of _American Graffiti._ Today, however, he was wearing one of his dress shirts that was reserved for special occasions.  It was a dark gray shirt with subtle off-white pinstripes; he had paired it with linen slacks in a slightly darker shade of gray, along with his favorite belt that had a buckle shaped like a sterling silver '57 Chevy on it.  He was wearing his black leather Wrangler boots and his black and silver bolo tie.  Justin had to admit - he was dressed to kill and he knew it wasn't because he was trying to impress the Walkers.  No, his brother was after someone much more appealing to him - to _both_ of them.  _Damn him..._

_  
_

Why should he be surprised, though?  Jared always _did_ want whatever HE wanted as they grew up - whether it was the same toy, the same type of pet, or their parents' approval and attention.  And normally to his consternation he got it, too.  It was just that this time - this one time when he had found another boy that he was attracted to and really wanted to get to know and hang out with, this one time when he found his thoughts preoccupied with their new neighbor - he had hoped that maybe, just maybe, Jared might by some miracle either look the other way or find someone else to occupy his time and attention with.  Now, however, as he looked at his tall, lanky brother dressed so impeccably, he knew that wasn't going to happen, just as he had feared earlier.

 

"No," Justin replied huffily.  "I'm helping out Mom because she asked me to; maybe you should _try_ it sometime."  He wiped his hands off self-consciously on his somewhat faded jeans, glancing down at his pair of clean but well-loved sneakers that he had slipped on after his shower and feeling decidedly like a poor second cousin.  His royal blue, V-necked sweater was still vibrant in color after multiple washings - thanks in large part to his mother's almost obsessive drive to keep their colors and whites separated in the laundry - but he still felt distinctly bland compared to Jared's appearance.  He could feel some of his self-confidence wavering just a bit as his brother stood there looking at him with an expression that felt like he could see right through him.

 

His brother shrugged as he replied, "She didn't _ask_ me to help her; she asked YOU.  You're the domestic one.  My job will be to _entertain_ our guests."

 

Justin walked over to his brother with a snort.  "Yeah, one in particular no doubt.  What makes you think he'll want to be _entertained_?"

 

Jared laughed softly at the question and at the hurt, defensive look on his brother's face.  "Do you see the way he looked at me yesterday?  Oh, he'll want to be entertained, all right.  And Mom and Dad always taught me to be polite when _company comes_."  He affectionately ruffled his brother's hair as Justin glared at him, flushing at the double entendre and imagining all sorts of things he would like to do himself with one particular guest that was arriving.

 

The only problem was, however, obviously he wasn't the only one that felt that way and what Jared normally wanted Jared normally got.  He sighed in displeasure as he stared into his brother's bemused face.  "Yeah...Right," he muttered.  His heart threatened to stop just then as he heard someone knocking on their back door; anyone who had been to their home before knew that they never used the front entrance to come and go, so it must be their next-door neighbors.

 

Jared smiled widely at his brother.  "And right on time," he said.  "Have to go greet our guests," he sing-songed as he brushed past Justin, making sure to nudge his shoulder just a little too roughly for it to be a coincidence.  He took just a second to whisper in his brother's ear, "Better get the napkins out, too, Ms. Homo Homemaker," before he left a fuming Justin standing near the dining room entrance.

 

"Fuck you, Jared," Justin muttered as his brother laughed softly and walked toward the kitchen.  "We'll just see who gets to ‘entertain' our guests."  He stood still as he listened to his mother extending a cordial welcome to Mr. and Mrs. Walker, his heart hammering in his chestas he heard her then addressing Brian.  _So he IS with them_ , he confirmed with part excitement, part apprehension.  He knew any second now they would all be walking toward him into the dining room, and he paused for a moment, wondering if he should just stay put or nonchalantly meander into the kitchen to have a first-hand look at the boy he had encountered earlier.

 

His curiosity getting the better of him, as well as his worry over his brother getting the upper hand, he started to walk the few steps into the kitchen.  His eyes widened as they instantly honed in on Brian like a heat-seeking missile.  If he thought the boy was gorgeous before at the barn, he was downright magnificent all cleaned up.  The jeans he had on seemed to have been custom made for his long, lean body, molding to his legs like a denim glove.  They seemed to go on for miles and miles, ending in a pair of black, leather loafers.  And the bronze-colored shirt, unbuttoned around his neck, complimented the hint of tan skin that was tantalizingly revealed to his admiring glance.

 

His face darkened into a frown, however, as he observed Jared walk right up to Brian and whisper something in his ear before Brian grinned back at him.  When he smiled, Justin noticed, Brian's entire face transformed into something almost predatory in nature; he observed his eyes light up with a particular sort of gleam as he whispered something back to his brother in return and Jared nodded.  His heart threatened to stop as just then Brian's gaze lifted over to meet his and one corner of his mouth turned up into a knowing, lazy smile as he looked over at him.

 

Justin lingered back a few feet, uncertain as to what to do, before that dilemma was taken away from him.  "Justin?  You remember the Walkers, of course," Jennifer acknowledged him as she turned to include him in their little group.  As he nodded at their two neighbors (purposefully avoiding staring over at Brian again as he yearned to do), he noticed that his father had also chosen to hang back away from the others; he was presently standing against the sink facing them with what appeared to be a shot of bourbon in his hand.  Justin knew that his father only drank when he was nervous or agitated about something, so it wasn't surprising that he was doing it now.  His father had made no bones about not wanting to play host tonight.  "Yes," he found his voice enough to say politely.  "Good to see you again, Mr. Walker, Mrs. Walker."

 

"You, too, Justin," Sarah told him warmly as Will simply nodded curtly to acknowledge him.  Sarah smiled over at Jennifer as she explained, "Actually, I wanted to thank Justin again for his help earlier with Checkers."

 

Jennifer replied, "Checkers?  I don't understand.  Did she get loose again?"   It was a common occurrence around their two farms for the Walkers' cow to wander over onto part of their property; in fact, normally if one of the boys or Craig saw her, they would simply herd her back over to her stall without even notifying Sarah or Will that it had happened.  Jennifer peered over at her son for an explanation, noticing what appeared to be a rosy-colored flush on his face; was Justin coming down with some sort of fever all of a sudden?

 

"No, not that," Sarah explained.  "I ran into him earlier near our barn; he had been helping show Brian how to milk our cow.  You know city slickers," she teased.  "It takes them a while to get the hang of that type of thing."

 

Justin thought he heard a dubious snort coming from his brother over the _real_ reason why he was over at the barn, but by the time he looked over at him Jared had plastered an inscrutable-looking expression back on his face.  He had an idea, though, that his brother would be interrogating him later about it.

 

"Oh, I don't know," Brian volunteered from nearby.  "You'd be surprised what sorts of skills you pick up that can be transferable to other tasks," he added as he peered over meaningfully at the youngest of the Taylor boys; a blush appeared on Justin's cheeks in response, along with a look that clearly pleaded with Brian not to divulge what ‘other' sort of activity he was referring to.

 

Brian blessedly decided not to elaborate further on his comment to Justin's relief.  Despite standing next to Jared, he was finding his own thoughts presently preoccupied by the younger of the two brothers, a blond with eyes the color of a calm, blue sky and an almost impossible beauty.  The brilliance of the blue sweater Justin was wearing seemed to make his eyes even more vibrant, and he found himself momentarily entranced by them.

 

While he was attracted to Jared's assertiveness and lack of hesitation in offering to extend his own version of ‘Southern hospitality' to him later, there was still something about this younger brother that was quite compelling.  Perhaps it had more to do with the thrill of the hunt and the pursuit of inexperienced, fresh prey rather than feasting on an easier target.  Justin had certainly proven himself to be curious as well as interested in him - he was certain of that much after their encounter at the barn earlier - but he had a feeling that it would take some more _convincing_ on his part before the younger Taylor brother succumbed to his ‘charms.'  As his eyes met Jared's however, and he thought about how similar they both were, he decided they both had their appeal.  Choosing between them wasn't necessarily a _bad_ dilemma to have, he thought, as a smug sort of smile began to spread across his lips at the notion.  The only question on his mind at that moment, then, as he peered over at the reticent blond and then back to the older, wiser brother, was the same question that had occurred to him yesterday:  which one he would fuck first - the all-too-willing, dark-haired, 'bad-boy' older brother who was undoubtedly well-versed in all the intricacies of sex, or the inexperienced but beautiful blond, younger brother who would be oh-so-trainable and pliant.  _Decisions, Decisions_...

 

Justin had to turn his gaze away from their cocky-sounding, wisecracking visitor as he felt a quick surge of heat rising across his face and his hormone-driven cock twitching in interest.  Just the sultry sound of Brian's voice caused all sorts of wondrous visions to emerge in his head, some of which he was personally familiar with but most of which he was not.  He inwardly cursed his involuntary reaction and naivety, noticing that Jared actually had the gall to wink at Brian as they looked at each other again, even though his brother had no idea exactly what Brian was referring to.  He had made a point not to even discuss his earlier encounter with Brian to anyone.  Now _everyone_ knew about it - at least part of it.  _Fuck._

_  
_

"You were over at the Walker farm today?" his father asked him as he placed the shot of bourbon down next to the kitchen sink.  "You were supposed to finish up painting the fence, Justin, not while away precious time goofing off over at the Walker farm."

 

Justin huffed.  "I was NOT _goofing off_ ," he told him father as he eyed him defensively.  "I was working on the part of our fence closest to their barn and noticed that Brian was having trouble figuring out how to milk her, that's all.  I thought he could use some help.  And I still got the rest of the painting, done, too."  _That was more work than Jared could say HE had done_ , he couldn't help thinking to himself.  But somehow if he said it aloud he knew his father would stand up for him; most of the time it seemed like Jared walked on water as far as their father was concerned.

 

One side of Brian's lips curled up in amusement as he stared over at his earlier bovine helper.  He nodded as he told everyone present, "Yeah, Justin was very _informative_."   He smiled broadly as he was rewarded with Justin turning an even darker shade of red; on his normally pale skin, it looked quite attractive as well as dramatic.  He liked the fact that this younger boy was so easily goaded and wondered what other reactions he could produce in him.

 

Jennifer watched the entire exchange between Brian and her youngest son with close scrutiny, noticing how Justin had turned red in reaction to what Brian was saying.  She suspected there was something else going on between the two of them, but at the moment it was impossible to tell what it was.  Not wanting the awkward moment to stretch out any further, she asked, "Why don't you all move into the dining room and I'll get our supper?"  She held her hand out toward the other room in invitation.  "Boys, please show our guests to their seats and I'll be right in.  Craig, would you help me collect everything, please?"

 

Jared walked over and grasped Brian's arm near his wrist.  "This way, Brian," he said as he turned and started to lead the other boy toward the dining room.   "I'll show you where to sit."

 

 Justin sighed softly in resignation and fumed over his brother's presumptuousness; he was too polite to ignore their other guests, however.  "Mr. and Mrs. Walker," he said with a nod as he followed Brian and Jared toward the nearby dining room, unable to help noticing how Brian's clothes moved so fluidly with his body.  _Stop it,_ he told himself sternly.  _It isn't going to happen..._

_  
_

* * *

 

 

Jennifer waited until the others were out of earshot before she turned to face her husband.  "Craig, will you please quit being so hard on him?"  She had wanted to hold off on this topic until later, but she found that she couldn't hold her tongue anymore.

 

Craig looked at her in befuddlement.  "Who?"

 

Using two oven mitts, Jennifer took the squat loaf of homemade honey wheat bread out of the oven and placed it on a medium-sized platter that matched her good dinnerware.  "Justin, that's who," she told him as she reached down to retrieve the pie and place it next to the bread so it would have time to cool before dessert and coffee were served.

 

Craig frowned.  "I wasn't being hard on him."

 

Jennifer shushed him, afraid the others would hear.  "Please keep your voice down.  Yes, you were.  He spent all day out in that hot sun making sure the fence was completely painted while you and Jared went gallivanting into town to pick up yet another jalopy to work on, and then you scolded him when he tried to help our neighbors out."

 

Craig couldn't believe it.  "First of all, those ‘jalopies' as you call them help make a tidy little profit around here when the horses aren't performing up to speed.  And second of all, I think Justin was more interested in checking out the new neighbor boy than helping to teach him how to milk a cow.  I happen to think that boy is a bad influence.  I mean, you heard why he's staying over there!  He's not here as a reward for being an upstanding kid, Jen; he's here because his own parents can't control him!   Do you really want Justin hanging around with someone like that?"

 

Jennifer sighed.  Perhaps Craig was right - she had heard just enough to know that this Brian boy had been in trouble back in Pittsburgh, and the last thing she wanted was for her son to get drawn into some kind of trouble along with him.  But then again, she trusted Justin's judgment and he was almost a man.  Where did you draw the line between smothering a son and protecting him?  Was it possible Craig was telling the truth?  That he was merely concerned over what sort of influence Brian might have on their vulnerable, inexperienced son, and he wasn't really showing favoritism?  She wanted to think so, but...

 

"Maybe not," she conceded as he nodded in agreement.  "But I also know I trust our son, Craig, and he's not a little boy anymore.  He's almost an adult.  He has to make his own decisions - and mistakes.  Besides, it was just a brief encounter at the Walkers' barn.  I hardly think the other boy is going to corrupt him during that time."

 

"Corrupt...That's a unique way of putting it," Craig muttered.  "I still don't like it," he decided.

 

Jennifer glanced over toward the dining room, knowing their guests would be wondering what was taking them so long.  "We'll take about this some more later," she assured him, determined not to drop the subject.  "Can you bring the pot roast and vegetables?  I'll grab the bread and get the salad out of the fridge."

 

Craig pursed his lips tightly together, feeling they had a lot more to discuss but also knowing that it would have to wait.  "Okay," he told her.  "But let's not draw this meal out," he told her quietly as they collected the items for their dinner and turned toward the dining room.  "The last thing I want is to spend all evening with a woman who doesn't know when to quit talking and a guy whose teeth you have to pull out just to get him to string more than a couple of words together."

 

Jennifer sighed.  "Come on," she told him, choosing not to counter his statement.  "Let's just make the best of it."

 

* * *

 

 

In the dining room, Jared could barely keep the smile of triumph off his face.  He had managed to steer Brian to the empty space right next to his own seat; Justin had been relegated to sitting across from them, next to the Walkers.  He knew that their mother and father would choose to sit at either end as they normally did when company came to visit.  He used his advantage at the moment while Mrs. Walker engaged in polite conversation with his brother to steal stealthy, admiring glances over at his dining companion.  He had been quickly intrigued by Brian the moment he had seen him out by the road yesterday, but now that he could get more up close and personal with the object of his appreciation, he was even more captivated.  The boy was probably the hottest thing on two long, lean legs he had ever had the pleasure of observing.  He was a few inches taller than he was, and his hair was slightly lighter with glints of reddish tint.  He had a sort of Romanesque profile - strong and angular, with long eyelashes and hints of gold specks in hazel eyes.  And the shirt he was wearing left little to the imagination - it clung to his flat chest and stomach like a tight glove.

 

His only disappointment was that he couldn't view Brian from the waist down.  That didn't mean he couldn't do a little tactile exploring, however, as, keeping his eyes on the Walkers from across the table, he slowly reached his left hand over and gave Brian's thigh an exploratory squeeze.

 

He could feel a slight jolt under his touch at the unexpected contact before he, too, felt Brian's hand slowly trailing a path up his upper leg, only he didn't stop at his thigh.  He bit his lower lip to hold back a moan that threatened to escape his mouth as he felt the other boy's right hand curling around his cock through the slacks he was wearing and giving it a possessive squeeze.  As Brian began to knead it like some delectable loaf of bread, despite his own growing desire he had to take his own hand to firmly remove the other boy's, knowing he would fucking come in his pants if he kept that up.

 

From his place across from the table, Justin's mind was trying to stay focused on what Mrs. Walker was saying about how hot and dry the weather had been so far this year, but his gaze was concentrated instead on his brother and their other guest sitting next to him.  Both of them had these strange expressions on their faces that he couldn't comprehend what they meant, but neither boy was looking at each other; in fact, if he didn't know better he would swear they were purposely trying NOT to catch each other's attention.  Just what was going on?

 

As his mother and father came into the room carrying the dishes for their supper, his gaze remained on Brian as the other boy's eyes caught his and he flushed once more in reaction.  It was as if Brian's eyes could pierce all the way down into his very soul, to his innermost thoughts and emotions, and he suddenly felt barer than a newborn baby fresh out of delivery.

 

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Jennifer said with an apologetic smile as she finally sat down at one end of the table, placing the platter containing the freshly-baked bread and the large bowl of salad down in front of her; Craig followed her lead by sitting down at the opposite end of the table and setting the oval platter of beef pot roast and vegetables down in front of the Walkers.

 

Sarah smiled back at her neighbor.  She had always liked Jennifer for her kindness as well as her frequent overtures to help out any way she could.  She was always having Justin take some honey over to her or some extra cookies she had baked for them, as well as allowing both boys to pitch in at their farm whenever they were in a bind; Justin, however, often wound up being the more giving of the two.  "That smells sensational," she told Jennifer, nodding toward the pot roast swimming in thick gravy with potato chunks, carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms.

 

Jennifer beamed at the compliment.  "Thank you - I hope you like it.  It's one of Craig's favorites - isn't it?"

 

Craig nodded, just a wisp of a polite smile on his face.  He still wasn't thrilled to be entertaining their next-door neighbors - much less their rebellious nephew.  Silently he hoped that his wife would abide by his wishes not to prolong their visit tonight.  He had already had a long day and was eagerly anticipating going to bed early.  He knew he and Jared would both want to start working on their latest project, and it would have to be after his oldest son had done his chores around the farm.  "Yeah," he told them.  "It's one of her best recipes."

 

Jennifer peered over at her husband to say, "Craig, if you'll hand the pot roast over to Will, we can start passing the other dishes around."  As her husband handed the platter to their guest, she noticed all the empty glasses filled only with ice and realized she had forgotten something.  "Jared," she addressed his older son, feeling Justin had helped enough already, "I forgot the iced tea pitcher.  Will you go get it please?"

 

Jared reluctantly scooted back from his chair with a nod, leaving Brian momentarily alone.  As he left the room, Brian watched from across the table as Justin was handed the meat platter from his Aunt Sarah.  He observed in fascination as the blond-haired boy deftly took the serving spoon and with long, graceful fingers placed some meat and vegetables onto his plate before passing it to his father.  As he let go of the dish, Justin's own eyes rose once more to meet his and he could almost feel this palpable, electric shock running between them.  He had to break off their gaze to place a small amount of meat and some carrots - no high carb potatoes, however - onto his own plate before passing the plate back over to Mrs. Taylor as an intriguing idea began to take form.  As the rest of the dishes were passed around, he slumped down ever so slightly in his chair, just enough to slide his foot out of its loafer before he slowly extended his leg out from under the table toward his goal.

 

Justin gasped in startled shock a few seconds later and dropped the platter of homemade bread onto the sage-green tablecloth with a decided thud as he felt something probing his cock and balls from under the table; his eyes flew open in comprehension as he realized it was someone's foot, someone's _toes_ actually groping him!  His heart began to pound furiously as everyone looked over at him with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

 

"Justin?  Are you all right?" Jennifer asked as she reached over to grasp his wrist, alarmed to feel her son's pulse racing furiously.  Luckily the bread had landed back on top of its platter, none the worse for wear as she looked over at her son's flushed face.  "Justin?  What it is, Honey?"

 

Justin dared to look over at Brian and discovered the other boy staring at him with an amused smirk on his face.  As Jared returned with the pitcher and set it down in the middle of the table, his eyes narrowed at the odd look passing between his younger brother and Brian, while Justin found himself growing both confused as well as irritated by their guest.  Just what did he want with him?  What did he want _from_ him?  First he makes a point of sitting next to his brother, whispering God-knows-what into his ear and leering at him as if he were the tastiest item on the menu, then the moment he's gone he's playing footsie with _him_ under the table?

 

As he pondered what it all meant, Justin realized to his embarrassment that everyone was still looking over at him for an answer, including Brian (as if he didn't already know the reason why); Jared was merely staring over at him with a perplexed look on his face as if he had missed the punch line of some joke.  Pursing his lips tightly together, he took a deep breath and blew it out before he raced to come up with a plausible explanation.  It would serve the cocky - _no, Justin, don't even go there,_ he told himself - the _arrogant_ boy right if he just told them all what he had done, but somehow confessing to the Walkers and especially his own parents that he had cried out because one of their supper guests was fondling his cock and balls with his sock-clad foot didn't seem like the best explanation at the moment.  It would serve his brother right, though, if he knew he wasn't the _only_ fish in the fucking sea when it came to Brian.  He couldn't help thinking, though, that this other boy was merely toying with both him AND his brother and he didn't like being made to feel like just a ‘convenience.'

 

"I'm sorry," he mumbled apologetically.  "The platter was hotter than I thought it would be."

 

Jennifer frowned but kept silent; she had brought the platter in herself without using any oven mitts and knew that was a lie.  But why would Justin make that up?  Once more she felt like a drama was being acted out right in front of her eyes but she wasn't privy to the script; everyone else, however, seemed to take her son's explanation at face value as they all continued to pass around each part of their supper until everyone had their fill.  The last thing Justin saw on Brian's face before they all began to eat their meal was the same sort of bemused, lazy smile he had worn previously as he cast his eyes downward and began to eat, hoping the heat he felt on his face would soon disappear.

 

* * *

 

 

For the next thirty minutes, the time passed fairly pleasantly as the adults engaged in polite conversation about ‘non-controversial' subjects, such as the dry weather, the poor price crops had been getting the past few years, the Walkers' chickens' output of eggs this year, and the upcoming county fair.  All the time the three boys engaged in a _silent_ conversation of their own, Justin and Brian exchanging sneaking glances at each other when the other thought they weren't looking, while Jared merely ogled Brian openly, occasionally casting what seemed to Justin to be an outright flirting gesture his way.  It wasn't as if his brother was batting his eyelashes at him or something lesbian in nature like that, but it was more the way his eyes lingered on Brian much too long to merely be a polite smile of interest.

 

All the time, Justin was torn between half-praying, half-hoping that Brian would or wouldn't attempt another round of "footsie" with him under the table, finally deciding it was better that he didn't for fear he would be unable to hold back his response to it.  Merely being in the same room with the other boy was making his insides go crazy with wild dreams of fantasies the two of them could share, and when Brian had actually touched him before...He closed his eyes tightly together as if that would force his mind to think of something else, but it didn't work.  His and Brian's all-too-close encounter in the barn and the other boy's stunt a little earlier had seen to that.

 

"Justin?"

 

He opened his eyes at the sound of his mother calling him.  _Damn it_.  "Yes?"

 

"Justin, maybe you'd better excuse yourself and go lie down," Jennifer said as she reached over to place one hand on her son's forehead.  He didn't appear to feel hot, though.  "You don't seem feverish, but I really think you're coming down with something."

 

Justin glared over at his brother as he definitely heard a snort this time.  "Something funny?"

 

"Yeah," Jared replied, clearing enjoying his brother's discomfort and seeing right through what his actual problem was.  " _You_ are.  Mom's right - you'd better go lie down, Squirt," he said with a smirk, "to _rest."  
_

_  
_

_Fuck you_ came to mind again as an appropriate response to his brother, but Justin bit his tongue as he turned to his mother to say firmly, "I'm fine.  Maybe just a little tired after _painting the fence all day_."  He stared pointedly over at his brother making his insinuation clear, but Jared merely curled a corner of his mouth up and shrugged.

 

Brian was enjoying himself immensely as he watched the Taylor brothers' badminton show.  He had to give Justin credit - the boy was easily embarrassed but he still didn't back down from his older brother who reminded him of himself in a lot of ways.

 

Jennifer bit her lip, still worried over her son's odd behavior, but decided maybe Justin was right - he was merely tired. She glanced down at her son's plate, noting with some relief that at least his appetite hadn't been affected; he had polished off two pieces of homemade bread with butter and some of her honey, most of his salad, and every bite of his pot roast.  "More bread, Honey?" she asked softly with a smile.  "Or more meat?"

 

Just then he felt another probe to his cock with the same talented foot as before and he bolted upright in his seat with another startled gasp.  As everyone stared over at him - except Brian, of course, who purposely looked down into his plate as he stabbed a piece of his _own_ meat - Justin hastily replied, "No...No more meat; I can't handle anymore right now."  He looked over at Brian, who had an amused grin on his face as he rose from the table with the growing beginnings of an impressive woody starting to form.

 

He cursed his body's reaction under his breath as he looked anywhere else but directly ahead.  "Uh...Maybe I _should_ excuse myself," he told his mother.  "Would you mind?"

 

Jennifer cast a scolding glance over at Craig as if to say _see, I told you_ _he was working too hard_ before she turned to Justin with a concerned look on her face.  "Of course, Honey.  You go ahead and get some rest."

 

Justin quickly scooted back from the table and picked up his empty plate and glass, holding it down in front of him and feeling like he couldn't get out of there soon enough.  "Mr. and Mrs. Walker," he mumbled as they nodded at him.

 

"I hope you feel better soon, Justin," Sarah told him with a smile.  "Come over to the house sometime soon and I'll fix you some of my homemade blackberry cobbler that you love, okay?  That'll make you feel better."

 

As he nodded and quickly turned to go, he unexpectedly heard Brian call after him, "Yeah, Justin, you really must _come_ ," along with a soft chuckle and with the heat rising up to his neck and beyond, he scurried down the hallway.

 

* * *

 

 

A few minutes later, he was outside, leaning his back against the large maple tree located on the side of the farmhouse and savoring the coolness he always found there.  The roughness of the bark against his shirt felt soothing somehow, comforting.  It might have had more to do with being away from the source of his awkwardness, however, than the familiar security of the tree trunk that he had climbed countless times before when he was younger.  He would be the first to admit that his experience with other boys when it came to sex was woefully lacking compared to his older brother's; in fact, it was pretty non-existent apart from a few shared blow jobs and kisses.  But he suspected that even his brother's sexual appetite was nothing compared to that of their dinner guest.  The older boy frankly scared the shit out of him by the way he made him feel merely by being in his presence.  Of course it didn't help that it seemed like Brian was softly mocking his inexperience every time he looked at him - and with his touches, the way he smelled, the way he looked...

 

He let out a long, ragged breath, relieved in one way to be out of the house but also disappointed that he had acted like a scared little child in front of him.  "Shit," he muttered as he closed his eyes in mortification and sighed.

 

* * *

 

_  
_

Meanwhile, inside the house, the tug of war between Jared and Brian waged on, both boys occasionally sliding their hands over to the other boy's body as they secretly explored and mapped out each other's contours and angles while the adults conversed quietly among themselves and the supper began to wind down.  Brian, attracted to both Taylor boys, decided that the most convenient target was the best one at the moment as he took advantage of the other boy's proximity to silently broadcast his wishes for exactly what he wanted to do with him later.

 

Jared was all too willing to encourage his overtures.  "Uh, Brian, my dad and I like to work on old cars.  Want to see the '37 Ford we picked up earlier today?  It's out in the barn."

 

Brian smiled widely, knowing that wasn't _all_ he wanted to check out.  "Sure," he said to Jared's delight.   "I'd really like to see it," he said huskily, making no pretense about just what he was referring to.

 

Jared leered at him in a mirror imitation of Brian's own expression as his mother began, "Jared..."

 

"Come on, Mom, I just want to show it to him, that's all."  Brian had to keep from snickering at his response as the older Taylor brother looked over at his dad for reinforcement.

 

"Let them go, Jen," Craig encouraged her, even though he still didn't quite trust the Kinney boy.  He figured, though, that all this talk about crops and the latest farming utensils wouldn't hold much interest for either boy.

 

Jennifer sighed in resignation and nodded.  "All right, but don't get your hands all greasy again," she warned him.  "And don't keep Brian out there forever; the Walkers have to get up early tomorrow just like we do."

 

"Okay, Mom," Jared told her as he and Brian quickly pushed back from their chairs and rose to leave before anyone else put up a protest.

 

"Uh...Jared...Our guests?"

 

"Oh.  Nice to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Walker," Jared replied almost automatically, knowing what a stickler his mother was for common courtesy.  The two neighbors nodded at him as he rushed out of the room with their nephew, hardly able to contain his excitement over finally being alone with Brian.

 

* * *

 

 

Justin heard the back screen door opening and in the fading daylight poked his head around to see who it was.  Were the Walkers leaving with Brian?  He found that idea disappointing, even though he knew it had been his choice to run off like some little sissy.  Even though it was dusk now, he had no trouble making out who the people were and his eyes narrowed in dismay - it was his brother; his brother and _Brian._   Unobserved, he held his breath as the two laughing boys walked companionably down the narrow concrete walkway together, side by side, toward the back, white wooden gate as Jared swung it open to exit.  Just as he suspected, he watched as Jared led Brian toward the barn, probably with the pretense of showing him his latest restoration project.  Something told him, though, that Jared had other ‘hobbies' in mind at the moment.  There was only one way to find out for sure, however.

 

He waited until they had entered the open double doors of the large, wooden barn before he rose from his place behind the large tree and followed the same path as the other two boys.  Taking care to keep to the side of the doors so neither boy could see him, he quietly crept closer and closer, hearing murmuring coming from inside.

 

As he got nearer to the doors, he could begin to hear what they were saying and although not surprised, it filled him with dismay.  He scooted closer to the doors as he listened intently, clearly making out his brother's voice - the one he used when he was trying to get something he really wanted.

 

"You are so fucking hot," Jared was murmuring huskily, his voice an octave lower than it normally was.  "You were making me so hard in there."

 

Justin held his breath as he molded himself to the exterior wall of the barn, making sure he couldn't be seen by the two boys inside; he felt like he was a witness to some gruesome accident scene, feeling uncomfortable standing there as he clearly eavesdropped on something personal but unable to turn away, either.  He held himself perfectly still as he heard Brian speaking this time, the boy's velvety, sultry voice making his pulse speed up in response, even though he wasn't talking to him.

 

"I'm going to fuck you so hard your eyes will roll to the back of your head," he growled at Jared.  "You won't be able to walk with that ass for a fucking week."

 

Justin squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the distinctive sounds of moans and feet scuffling; he risked peering around the corner of the barn's open doorway to observe his brother and Brian rapidly taking each other's clothes off as they groped and kissed, and he couldn't take it anymore; his face showing his distress and heartbreak, he quickly turned and rushed away toward the back of their property, _any place where_ he couldn't hear the sounds of his brother and the boy he was strongly attracted to going at it like two dogs in heat.  As he dropped down onto the cool ground and felt the prickle of tears at the back of his eyes, he knew:  his worst nightmare had come true - Jared had, indeed, triumphed in his bid to capture Brian's interest, just as he feared he would.

 

* * *

 

_  
_

_Same Time - Inside the Barn  
_

_  
_

Brian's demand caught Jared by surprise as he captured the other boy's wrists in a strong grasp to stop their movement.  "What did you say?" he asked Brian breathlessly as he broke off their latest kiss and held Brian's wrists firmly in front of him while he stared into the darkened, lust-filled eyes of his companion.

 

Brian frowned, slightly irritated that his intention to give this other boy a good old-fashioned fuck he would remember into the next week was being thwarted.  Perhaps the hillbillies down here had _another_ name for it.  How much clearer could he be?

 

"I said...I'm going to fuck the living daylights out of you," he reiterated as he struggled to break Jared's grasp.  As soon as he was free, he quickly moved to begin unfastening the other boy's pants, only to have Jared move back from him with a look of annoyance.

 

"I think you've got that wrong, City Boy," Jared told him as reached over and began to unbutton Brian's jeans now.  "The only one who's going to be doing any fucking tonight is _me_.  I'm nobody's bottom boy."

 

Brian's mouth hung open in amazement as he bristled, his eyes flashing incredulously.   "I think you've been inhaling too many tractor fumes lately; I could have sworn you just said you were going to fuck me.  Well, no fucking WAY, _Jethro_.  Not going to happen unless it's during your wildest wet dream, because I don't bottom for _anybody_."  Impatiently he waited for the other boy to come to his senses; knowing he would surely see reason.  All that groping under the dining room table earlier had made him horny as hell and decidedly frustrated.  He still had his rules, however, and it did NOT include being _anyone's_ fuck, no matter how tight his groin felt at the moment or how talented this other boy might be.

 

To his disappointed surprise, however, Jared placed his hands on his hips and stood his ground.  "Well, _Slim,_ we may be out in the hicks as far as you're concerned, but out here I don't bottom for anyone, either, so you'd better adjust your lofty goals downward if you want to get laid tonight."  Secretly Jared wasn't quite as assertive as he sounded; he was nervous as shit, but desperately hoping this gorgeous boy would see reason and decide that being fucked was better than nothing at all, because he was not going to back down.  He never submitted to any other guy and despite Brian's perfection he wasn't about to start tonight.  Once you bowed to another guy's demands, he figured the boy would never accept anything less, and he didn't want it broadcast that he would accept being a bottom for anyone.

 

Brian snorted.  "Well, it looks like the only thing getting laid tonight are eggs, then."  He stared the other boy down unflinchingly, disappointed that his plans for the evening had just been thwarted.  He wondered fleetingly where Justin was before Jared spoke up.

 

"Well, where does that leave US, then?  I really need to get off," he told Brian, his voice dripping with pent up sexual frustration as well as agitation.

 

Brian held his hand out to slowly push the other boy backward toward a horse stall nearby, noting with relief that it was empty save for some straw spread out on the ground.  _Thank God there's no shit lying around there_ , he thought as he continued to urge the other boy ahead.  Jared, his eyes reflecting his confusion, allowed Brian to lead him through the open door of the stall just before he was given a firm push and fell on his back onto the relative softness of the thick, golden-colored, makeshift blanket.

 

He smirked up at the other boy in relief as he realized their playtime wasn't over yet, guessing what Brian had in mind.  His theory was confirmed as Brian sat down next to him and opened his jeans, pushing them down along with a pair of tight, black briefs to display an impressively large-size, erect cock, purple and throbbing.

 

Despite his earlier bravado, Jared licked his lips in anticipation as Brian demanded, "Suck me off and I'll do you the same favor.  It'll be the best head you'll ever have," he promised as Jared swallowed hard at the thought.  It didn't take long for Brian to divest himself of the rest of his clothing as he lay back on the ground next to him, one leg bent at the knee as he eyed the other boy intently and noticed the telltale look of lust in Jared's eyes as his gaze lowered to take in his hardened member.

 

A few minutes later he was coming down the boy's throat as his body arched up in climax and he cried out in release, despite finding that his choice of sexual partner wasn't as talented with giving blowjobs as he had hoped.  It had been adequate for what he had needed, but he found that Jared was lacking in the finesse department.  No matter, he decided; it had accomplished what he needed and there was still one _other_ brother to check out - one that promised to be quite pliant and willing to let him coach him in the proper way of giving and receiving pleasure.

 

As he fulfilled his promise to return the favor shortly afterward - leaving Jared a sated, spineless mess on the straw-covered, dirt floor - he quickly grabbed his clothes and stood up to leave.

 

"What?  You're just leaving?" Jared breathlessly called out to him from his place on the floor, his voice somewhat coarse from the previous, loud verbal reaction he had had to Brian sucking him off.  The boy had been right - that had been the most amazing blowjob he had ever received, and it left him even more determined to convince Brian to let him fuck him.  He could be very determined when he wanted someone - and he had never wanted anyone more in his entire life.  "I was going to show you my car."

 

Brian laughed in incredulity.  "Really?  I thought you wanted to show me some _other_ kind of hot rod.  Maybe some other time," he told him as he finished buttoning up his shirt and snapping his jeans back together, brushing some errant strands of straw out of his auburn hair as he slid his feet back into his loafers.

 

Jared rolled over onto his side and quickly rose to his feet as he hurriedly scooped up his clothes.  Jamming his legs into his jeans - not bothering to put his underwear back on but simply stuffing them into a pocket - he tried to think of a way to keep Brian there.  The boy was the most exciting guy he had seen in a long time - maybe forever - and he found that he didn't want to say goodbye yet, even though he knew he would be next door.  His typical confident nature faltered in front of this dominating boy as he suggested, "Maybe you can come over tomorrow and help me work on it.  Do you know about cars?"

 

Brian guffawed at the crazy question.  "You could say that," he dryly replied.  He shrugged.  "I'll have to see - I have _chores_ I have to do first."  He said the word _chores_ distastefully; merely the word made him want to gag.  He could only imagine after his less-than-pleasant conversation with his uncle earlier just what sort of ‘chores' the man had in mind for him.

 

Jared nodded as Brian turned to go.  "Well, see what you can do," he implored.  "It'll be one sweet ride once it's all fixed up.  It has an 85hp, 221-cu.in. V-8.  Wait until I get it out on the open road!"  His eyes shone with excitement - the same reaction he always had when he was starting on yet another project.  Just like with all the others he always wanted to keep the finished product, but his father was normally able to talk him out of it with the promise of starting on yet another one.  The idea of sharing this latest restoration with Brian, though, riding with him as they cut through the countryside in a blur of speed and power, was enormously appealing to him and gave him hope that he would be able to impress him with his driving skills.

 

Brian nodded casually.  "I'll be around," he said.  "Later."

 

Jared's eyes followed the gorgeous boy - all tousled from their encounter but still glorious even in his indifference.  "See ya," he responded as Brian disappeared into the darkness.  "And it won't be the last time," he softly vowed.  He stood there alone for several seconds amongst the sounds of the crickets, soft moos of their cows, and the occasional whinny of a horse out in the adjacent paddock before, with a sigh, he quickly donned his shirt and walked back toward the house.


	5. Sparring Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared delights in providing details to his brother about his encounter in the barn; Brian continues to have trouble adjusting to 'life on the farm.'

From his place near the back of their property at the outskirts of a cornfield, Justin sat cross-legged in the grass; he pulled nervously at some blades of grass nearby with both hands as he looked over at the glow of a lantern emanating now from the open barn doors.  He could make out shapes from within, moving in distortion with the flickering of the kerosene lamp, but he refused to contemplate what exactly his brother and Brian were doing.  Besides, it didn't take a genius to figure out what was happening at the moment; he had already seen - and heard - enough earlier to know exactly what they were doing...

 

"Damn it!" he growled in frustration, feeling the tendrils of his own desire flaring up as he thought about the gorgeous neighbor boy who had begun to occupy all of his waking - as well as sleeping - thoughts lately, and who had taken inordinate glee earlier in tormenting him at the dinner table.  The boy was both exasperatingly arrogant but also oddly vulnerable in some ways as he thought back to their encounter in the Walker barn earlier.  Clearly Brian wasn't very comfortable in this rural environment; the boy was from Pittsburgh and no doubt more at ease in a big city setting.  When it came to proclaiming his masculinity, however, he had no problems asserting himself no matter WHERE he was...

 

Which was the crux of the matter; Jared was obviously attracted to Brian, too.  Of course, what gay boy _wouldn't_ be?  "Just once," he murmured.  "Just once couldn't you have thought about ME instead of your damn dick?" he whispered.  He sighed.  He loved Jared - his older brother could actually be quite protective of him when it was needed.  He recalled several times in school when he had rushed to his defense in gym, for example, when some of the bigger boys in his class had picked on him.  It was definitely a big advantage to have one of the star athletes in school stand up for him, and he had been grateful for that.  It worked both ways, though; he had helped his brother out when he was struggling with algebra or chemistry and needed to maintain at least a "C" average in order to remain on the baseball and football teams.  He knew if it hadn't been for his tutoring - as well as a little bit of ghostwriting on his part for his term papers - his brother would have never been able to stay on the squads, and he knew it would have devastated him to be suspended.

 

Jared always _did_ place a great emphasis on his reputation, and while he was in high school on the varsity teams he relished all the attention he had received as the chief jock.   Of course, in such a small, conservative town as the one _they_ lived in, one didn't dare breathe a word about your homosexuality to others; the word ‘fag' would roll smoothly off local tongues just as easily as the day's farm commodities report if they knew about it and your family would be forever stigmatized, a chance that their father had studiously told them they couldn't afford to take with the state of the current economy.

 

Even though he had accepted their lifestyle, he had warned them NOT to go around ‘flaunting' their sexuality or even breathing a word of it to anyone else; he had reminded them that their livelihood of selling their mother's honey, their crops, _everything_ that brought in money for them to live on, was tied to Versailles.  Even the money that was generated as a result of their horse race winnings would not be possible if others did not bet on their horse to win, not to mention the veterinarians, feed mill operators and storekeepers that would suddenly be too ‘busy' to help them out if they needed it.  No, they were firmly reminded, there was way too much riding on their silence to worry about being ‘honest.'

 

Justin did not agree with that mandate, but as long as he was in his father's house he had no choice.  He knew his mother didn't agree with his viewpoint, either, but she had been brought up to believe that in the household the man ruled the house and made the big decisions, not the wife, and it was an upbringing that she could not bring herself to break from.

 

So in order to keep his sexuality a secret, his reputation as a ladies' man intact, and remain on the high pedestal everyone placed him on, Jared entertained his younger brother with tales of how he would go through the motions of taking out the cheerleaders who were always the most beautiful girls in school while excusing himself to visit the bathroom where he would promptly drag the closest, halfway decent boy along with him for a quick fuck to make his ‘dates' with the females more palatable. Justin didn't necessarily agree with his brother's deception while he had been in school, but he understood it in light of the small-town mentality that existed.  Perhaps it was no wonder, then, that Jared had pounced on the first real opportunity he had to indulge in his whims with the sexy neighbor boy had had virtually dropped in out of nowhere, one where he didn't have to carry on any pretense as to his sexuality.

 

Just then Justin heard his brother's voice picking up in volume, although he couldn't make out what he was saying.  Could they be done already?  "That didn't take long," he muttered; his stomach fluttered as he made out the tall form of Brian Kinney ambling out of the barn, heading off in the opposite direction toward the Walker farm.  Apparently their new neighbor had no intention of going back into the farmhouse to say goodbye to anyone, including him.  He stared after him for as long as he could until Brian's form was gobbled up by the darkness; a few seconds later, he noticed his brother emerging from the barn, also, swinging the kerosene lamp alongside him as he placed it down long enough to push the heavy wooden doors closed behind him.  As Jared clicked a clunky, metal lock together around the two ends of the barn doors to secure them, Justin noted that his brother's shirt was now hanging completely open, the flaps flowing back and forth gently from the mild breeze that always seemed to envelope the barn at night; his hair, which had been so meticulously groomed earlier, was now mussed up and sticking out in all directions as if he had been strenuously working out.

 

His face darkened with jealousy as the idea of just what sort of activity his brother must have been partaking in surged through his mind.  His breathing heavy with anger and disillusionment, he watched Jared swagger back toward the house with the lamp before he finally stood up from his observation point, his hands balled into fists at his sides.  There was no way he could go back into that house and see the smug look on his brother's face.

 

Biting his lip in indecision and now silhouetted in the slim sliver of moonlight hanging above, his legs began to instinctively move him toward the stables on the other side of the barn; it was where he _always_ went when he needed to calm his nerves.  There was something about the quiet majesty of the antique structure with the steeply-sloped roof, thick, wooden, beams and the rooster weather vane perched on top that always made his mood lighten, despite whatever happened to be bothering him.

 

Now as he approached the stables, he was greeted with a soft whinnying sound from the nearest open half-window.   Despite his worries, the sound made him smile and his mood lift just a bit as he walked up and whispered, "Hi, Boy.  I've missed you, too."  He felt bad about the lack of attention he had been able to provide for Headstrong lately; the fence painting had taken up much of his time the past couple of days.  He knew that Vic had made sure all the horses had been groomed, bathed, and fed during his absence, and the stables cleaned out in the meantime, but the job of keeping them all exercised, especially Headstrong, normally fell to him; he took his responsibility to do that very seriously, so the fact that he had been unable to follow through on that bothered him.

 

He reached up to fondly stroke the soft skin on the left side of Headstrong's nose as the horse whinnied again; it was one of his favorite spots to be caressed, just like the ears on a dog.  "I know," he whispered.  "I'll make it up to you tomorrow; I promise."  He blew out a plaintive breath between his lips as he lay his forehead against the animal's, cupping the horse's mouth gently with the palm of his right hand.  He giggled softly as Headstrong nuzzled the ticklish flesh with his lips.  "Sorry, Boy, I didn't think to bring you a treat; I'll bring you something out tomorrow, okay?"

 

He knew it was foolish; he knew the horse couldn't possibly understand what he was saying.  But he was certain that the horses responded to his voice and his touch.  He recognized that he had been born with some sort of gift; an instinctive ability to bond with them, and it was his avid hope that he would be able to soon use that gift, along with his love of art, to help others.  First, though, he needed to get through the summer, and that meant not only continuing to work with the horses but also dealing with his brother - and his brother's relationship with Brian Kinney.  "It's going to be a long, hot summer," he told the horse.  He thought he could see the large, expressive eyes blinking back at him sympathetically in the dim moonlight as he sighed.  "I better go, Boy.  I promise I'll be back tomorrow to work with you, okay?"  He stroked the horse's neck one last time before turning to head back to the house, his burdens still firmly in place but his heart just a little lighter.

 

* * *

 

"Justin!" Jennifer called as she noticed her son passing by the dining room archway; she could have sworn he had told her he was going to go up to his room to rest.

 

Breathing a sigh of resignation, Justin turned to pause in the doorway.  "Hi, Mom," he responded quietly.  He noticed that only the adults were now at the table; remnants of dessert and half-filled coffee cups indicated the dinner was now winding down.

 

"I thought you were upstairs, Honey," Jennifer commented as the others turned to look over at him.

 

Justin could feel the heat of embarrassment rising into his face under their scrutiny as he furiously raced to come up with a logical explanation.  "Uh...I did.  But it was so hot upstairs that I had to open the windows and go outside for a while until it had time to cool off."  Justin's father, always trying to conserve money (at least where house utility bills were concerned; apparently Jared's ‘hobby' didn't count when it came to budgeting), had declared that the central air conditioning was off limits until July.  Instead, they had to rely on big, metal, box fans to cool the typically hotter portion of the house.  Thankfully, they did a decent job of circulating air from one side of the upstairs to the other.  It wasn't the best of solutions, but it did save on cooling costs.

 

To his relief, his mother nodded with a slight smile.  "Yeah, I know how hot it can get up there."

 

She tilted her head over at the partially-eaten lemon meringue pie.  "We've got some dessert left.  Would you like some?"  She seemed to study him as she peered over at him intently.  "Are you feeling better now?"

 

Justin pursed his lips together.  Was he?  Not really, but he wasn't going to tell HER the real reason why.  "Yeah," he told her instead.  "I feel fine now."

 

She smiled.  "I'm glad to hear that, Honey.  Have a seat and I'll get you a piece of pie, then."

 

Somehow Justin didn't think he could stomach sitting there at the table with Brian's aunt and uncle, or risk having the memories of his and Brian's ‘game' earlier flashing through his mind, so he reluctantly shook his head, although he knew how wonderful his mother's pie was.  "No, thanks," he said.  "I think I'll just turn in; I'm pretty bushed.  Now that the fence is done, I need to get back to work on exercising Headstrong tomorrow for the race next weekend."

 

At the mention of next week's harness race, Sarah stole a glance over at her husband, noticing his stiff body language and the tight lines drawn around his mouth.  She knew exactly what - and who - he was thinking about.  Of course, he _always_ thought of their son whenever harness racing was mentioned.  How she wished that things were the way they used to be.  That would mean that their son was still alive, though, and as much as she wished that that could be true, she knew that wasn't going to happen.   She reached under the table to squeeze his left thigh as finally he turned his head to look over at her.  They locked gazes for a moment before she told her hosts, "Uh, we'd better be going, Jennifer, Craig.  It's getting late and we all have to get up early tomorrow."

 

"Do you have to leave so soon?" Jennifer asked, not quite wanting the night to end.  Visitors there were few and far between, living far from the nearest small town, and she had been having quite a pleasant evening with their neighbors.  While Craig wasn't exactly the best conversationalist at the most ideal of times, he had still managed to maintain a polite back-and-forth interaction with Will while she had enjoyed discussing new recipes with Sarah, as well as news about Versailles, including the new library being constructed in town.  It wasn't the most exciting of topics, but to Jennifer they were enjoyable nonetheless.

 

"Yeah, we need to go," Will interjected; his voice just a little brusque.  He frowned in irritation.  "I wonder where that boy is?  Brian went out with your son at least an hour ago.  I TOLD him before we came over here that I needed him to get up early to work on the chores he didn't finish today."

 

Justin soaked all that information up like a sponge in a mop bucket, all the while wondering how much he should tell his neighbors about Brian's whereabouts; apparently Jared must have gone upstairs through the front door earlier when he had returned.  He noticed that whenever his brother didn't want to explain something he made a habit of quietly entering through the seldom-used front entrance and heading up the steps to his room without anyone being the wiser.  He knew Brian had no intention of coming into the house.  He supposed that it wouldn't hurt to tell them that since he had already mentioned he had gone outside earlier.  "I saw Brian heading in the direction of your house a little while ago."

 

They all turned to look at him, making him feel a little awkward over their penetrating stares as Will growled, "Nice of him to let us know."  He scooted back from the table, placing his navy-blue, cotton napkin on top of the table as the chair made a scraping sound on the hardwood floor.  "We'd best be off then, Sarah.  I still don't trust that boy; all I can say is I'd better find him in bed when we get home."

 

Looking a little embarrassed at her husband's gruff manner, Sarah pushed her own chair back and rose to join him.  "We had a lovely evening," she told Jennifer politely.  Turning to Craig, she added softly, "Good luck with the race next weekend.  I'm sure with Justin riding Headstrong you'll do very well as always."

 

He nodded at her silently, noticing a frown appear on Will's face as they turned to leave.   No doubt the man was feeling melancholy again about Dale.  He could feel sympathy for the man, losing his son like he did, but he wasn't going to exclude his _own_ son from competing in races just out of some odd sense of respect for the other man's loss.  "Thanks, Sarah.  I'm sure you're right.  The horse is very consistent for us."

 

Sarah smiled fondly at Justin as she walked over toward the archway; he really was such a sweet boy.  "Thanks again for your help earlier, Justin," she told him.  "We really appreciate it.  Don't forget I owe you a cobbler."

 

He nodded with a smile.  "I won't."  And he meant it; her prize-winning cobbler - always much sought-after at the county fair - was one of his favorite desserts.  The thought of having an excuse to visit the Walker farm in the near future, though, made him feel both apprehensive as well as excited.  Perhaps he would have to take her up on her offer very soon if he could work up the nerve...That is, if Jared wasn't around keeping Brian ‘busy.'

 

"Justin," Will addressed him curtly before he turned and proceeded abruptly down the hallway toward the back door, his thoughts occupied both with his deceased son and with their recalcitrant nephew.  Sarah hastened to keep up with him as a few seconds later the screen door banged against its frame and they were gone.  As the car started up and he heard them leaving, Justin turned his head as his father called out his name from his place at the table.

 

"Yeah, Dad?"

 

"Did you see Jared out there?  That Kinney boy isn't the _only_ one that needs to get up early for chores.  I promised your mother that I'd have him take over some of yours tomorrow so you can concentrate on taking Headstrong out to the exercise track."

 

Justin nodded, silently pleased that his older brother would apparently be much too busy tomorrow to think about a repeat performance with their hot neighbor.  That was some consolation, he supposed...

 

"I saw him earlier about the same time that Brian left.  He was coming back to the house.  You didn't see him?"

 

Craig frowned as he shook his head.  "No, we didn't.  Now where could he _be_?  Justin, go upstairs and see if he's in his room.  Let me know if he isn't.  And if he IS, tell him that I want him downstairs bright and early at 6 a.m. so he can eat breakfast and get started on your chores.  If he gives you any guff, send him downstairs and _I'LL_ take care of him."

 

Justin nodded, secretly pleased that their father would be the one meting out punishment if Jared objected.  It was about time that his older brother got back to work for a change.  "Okay," he told him with a nod.  "I'm heading off to bed, too."  He knew it was best to work out with Headstrong in the early morning so he didn't overwork him in the mid-day heat.  He glanced over at his mother, who was rising from her place at the table to begin collecting dishes.  "You need any help, Mom?"

 

"No, Honey," Jennifer told him with an appreciative smile.  "I can do it.  You run along; I know you have a busy week ahead of you."

 

Justin nodded before turning to leave, taking the steps wearily; the task of painting most of the day in the hot sun had left him bone-tired and more than ready to go to bed.  As he reached the landing and headed toward the opposite end where his older brother's bedroom was located, though, he was filled with anxiety.  Oh, he was going to enjoy telling Jared that he would have to wake up early for chores tomorrow, but he was NOT looking forward to his brother's arrogant recap of his rendezvous with Brian, which he knew Jared would no doubt take special delight in describing for him.  He knew his brother; he would be unable to avoid bragging about it - every last, painful detail...

 

As he reached Jared's open door, he noticed him sprawled out on top of his favorite queen-sized bedspread - the navy blue one with '57 Corvettes all over it - reading some type of classic car magazine.  He was still dressed in his dinner clothes from before, except now he had his shirt wide open and the sleeves were rolled up.  Justin swallowed hard at the implications as he saw his brother glance up at him as he appeared in the doorway; he pretended to feel more confident than he was, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed over his chest as he peered back at him.

 

Jared plastered a grin on his face, kind of like the cat that ate the canary, as he spied his brother.  _Showtime..._ "Well, look who's up past his bedtime?" he teased with a lopsided grin.  "Looking for some more household chores to do?  I have some dirty laundry that you can take downstairs to the washer if you want."  Jared smirked as he reached over to retrieve the pair of white briefs that he hadn't bothered to put back on after he and Brian had sucked each other off; he had crumpled them up on top of the bed earlier, just waiting for an opportunity to use them to his advantage later.  It seems his ‘opportunity' had just walked in.  "Here," he said just before he threw them over at Justin, who ducked just in time as the briefs scudded on the carpeted floor at his feet.  "You can wash along these with your teeny-tiny, tighty-whities; I seemed to have stained them earlier."

 

Justin glared over at him, trying hard not to think about what that meant.  "No, thanks," Justin replied stiffly.  "You can take your own fucking dirty clothes downstairs yourself."

 

Jared slowly twisted his lanky body to rise from the bed and walk over to his brother...  "Suit yourself," he told Justin with a toothy smile.  "I have some other clothing that needs washed anyway."  He bent down to pick up his briefs as he replied in a sort of conspiratorial stage whisper, "Even with the condom, I shot such a load into Kinney that I had to use these to wipe me off.  Whew!" he exclaimed with a wiggle of his brows.  "You know he has a beautiful dick - and ass.  I told him if he's a good boy, one day I'll even let him top ME.  Sure you wouldn't rather keep these as a souvenir?  It'll be the closest _you'll_ ever get to him."

 

Justin couldn't stand it any longer; his attempt to come off as nonchalant and uninterested failed him miserably as his eyes flashed in fury and despair.  He had to try and maintain some semblance of dignity, however, or he knew he would come off as a weak, pathetic kid.  "Fuck you, Jared!  What makes you even think I care about WHAT you two did?"

 

Jared snorted in skepticism as Justin's face reddened in embarrassment.  His brother was so transparent and just like any typical, older brother one of his favorite pastimes was teasing his sibling.   Justin always carried his heart on his sleeve, and this was no exception.  "Oh, you care, all right," he told him as he leaned in closer to his brother's face, close enough to smell peppermint; apparently Justin had been chomping on another one of those insipid white-and-red hard candies again like he always did...

 

He smiled knowingly.  "You're not kidding me, Squirt; you think he's as hot as _I_ do.  The only difference is that he only needs YOU to help milk the cows!"  He felt bad as he watched an expression of pain flicker across his younger brother's face; his intent really wasn't to hurt Justin, although he DID have a reputation to maintain and it was great fun to tease him.  After all, it wouldn't do to let Justin know that he had actually struck out earlier.   Surely Justin realized he was way out of his league here.  Someone like Brian would just chew him up and spit him out with nary a glance backward, so he was really doing him a favor in a weird sort of way.

 

Justin used the palm of his right hand to push his brother away from his personal space.  His felt both furious as well as humiliated.  "That's what YOU think, you asshole!  Brian was looking at ME across the dinner table, not you!  And that's not ALL he was doing, either!"  His eyes widened as he realized that perhaps he was giving too much away as his brother's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

 

"What the fuck are you talking about, Justin?  What do you mean... _that's not all_?"

 

_Shit_.  Justin's face turned a deep pink as he fought to explain his statement.  "Well, um..."

 

Jared crossed his arms over his exposed chest as he glared over at his younger brother.  "Go on...explain what you just said.  You said Brian was doing something else at dinner.  What exactly would that be, Squirt?"

 

Justin felt particularly vulnerable staring over at his brother's well-defined, muscular pecs.  Next to him, he felt like some wussy.  But he wasn't going to back down, either, damn it.  "Well, if you MUST know, he was flirting with me!"

 

Jared reared back his head and laughed, not only at the righteous-sounding statement but at his brother's look of smugness.  " _Flirting_ with you?  And how, pray tell, was he doing that?  Did he bat his big, bad, chocolate eyes at you?  Did he give you a wink?  Did he waggle his eyebrows?  Tell me - I'm dying to know."

 

"No, he _didn't_ bat his big, brown, chocolate eyes at me, you moron!  He...he was...."  _God, how could he say this without sounding weird?  Well, he supposed there was only ONE way to say it, wasn't there?_   He took a deep breath and let it out as he said, "He was playing with my cock - and my balls - under the table with his foot, _that's_ what."  _So there - take that, Hot Shot!_

_  
_

To his dismay, however, instead of being impressed - or even jealous - Jared merely smirked back at him in amusement.  "Oh, is THAT all?  Well, he did a lot more than ‘play' with me," his brother replied haughtily.   He reached over to ruffle Justin's hair affectionately as Justin moved to get out of his grasp, feeling suddenly like a two-year old child being greeted by his long-lost grandmother.  "You really are a hoot, Little Brother.  When I see Brian again, I'll make sure to give him your _regards_."

 

Justin couldn't help asking; it was one of those questions he didn't want to know the answer to, and one of those that he did.  "You...you're going to see him again?"

 

Crumpling his discarded briefs into a sort of makeshift, miniature basketball, Jared turned his body just enough to lob the pair with a perfect arc into the open top of his brown, wicker hamper located over in the far corner.  He turned to Justin with a smug look on his face as he nodded.  "Sure.  I told him I'd take him out in my hotrod as soon as it's road worthy.  In the meantime, I think I'll introduce our new neighbor to the good ‘ole swimming hole - swim trunks optional, of course."

 

Justin glowered at him in disgust before a sudden thought occurred to him.  It was HIS turn to grin now as he told his brother, "Well, it won't be tomorrow... _Stud_.  Dad wanted me to tell you that you'll be taking over all my chores tomorrow so I can work out with Headstrong for the race coming up next week."

 

Jared's reaction was instant and furious.  "What the fuck?!"

 

Justin was enjoying his brother's reaction enormously.  "You heard me; Dad said that you would have to..."

 

"I HEARD what you said, Justin!" Jared growled at him, upset that his plans to spend more time with Brian were being rudely thwarted.  He glared over at his brother as he said,  "Well, we'll just see about that.  I'm going to go talk to Dad right now.  He promised me that I could spend time working on the new car."  How could he do this to him?

 

Justin smiled.  "Go ahead," he dared him.  "He said if you gave me any guff to send you downstairs anyway."  Despite his disappointment of earlier, at least he could derive a lot of satisfaction out of the look on his brother's face now.  "I'm going to bed."  He _was_ tired and suddenly weary - both physically AND mentally.  Hopefully when the first rays of the morning sun struck tomorrow, things would look a lot brighter.  Somehow he suspected he was wrong, but he hoped so, anyway.

 

"I'll just DO that!" Jared called after him in a huff as Justin turned and walked down the hallway toward his own room on the other end.  "Don't think this is the end of this, Squirt!  You can't tell me what to do."

 

Justin merely shook his head sadly as he reached his own bedroom and slowly closed the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

_Early the Next Morning - Walker Farm_

_  
_

The sun's rays were barely peeking up from the eastern horizon as a bleary-eyed Brian slowly stumbled down to the Walker kitchen; in a case of déjà vu, his uncle was once more sitting at his customary place at the end of the table, sipping a mug of coffee as he held the open paper in his other hand, scanning the morning's news before he began his tasks for the day.

 

Will glanced up briefly as Brian ambled up to him, studying what his nephew was wearing.  Brian had at least taken his advice this time and had donned more suitable clothes for farm chores.  He had on a worn, classic pair of blue jeans, a sleeveless, black, cotton wifebeater shirt (although Will had no idea it was actually called that - he just thought it was a sleeveless, round-neck tee-shirt), and a pair of some weird kind of black sneakers that looked like they might have been a sort of pebbled leather.  He snorted softly to himself over that thought; it wasn't that he hadn't warned Brian about possibly ruining some of his good clothes.  If he WANTED to run that chance, that was his choice...

 

"Coffee?" Will mumbled, not taking his eyes away from the local section he was reading.  He nodded over toward the portable carafe that was sitting on a round, woven potholder at the other end of the table.

 

Brian rubbed the sleep from his eyes thinking back briefly to last night's events; after he had walked back from the Taylor farm, he had stood outside on the front porch of his aunt and uncle's porch, taking a much-needed drag from his cigarette and taking advantage of the solitude before his relatives returned from dinner.  He had stood there, his hands on the wooden porch railing, looking out onto nothing but field after field of corn and soybean crops.  No houses (other than the Taylor house, which you couldn't see from this vantage point), no city lights, no car headlights; nothing as far as the eye could see in the dimness of the moonlight.  He could hear an occasional soft moo from Checkers in the barn nearby, and crickets - lots and lots of crickets.  The sound was almost deafening in the still, tranquil, cool, night air.  He had never realized how loud the quiet could be at night, having come from an urban area.  How did one ever get used to this?

 

He had stood there for several minutes, reliving earlier events in his mind.  He had thoroughly enjoyed his little game of parrying with both Taylor brothers at dinner earlier; at the time, both boys had made what could have been a tedious event much more enjoyable.  Each had their own unique, attractive qualities.  Jared was much more assertive, sure of what he wanted, and not afraid to go after it.  He didn't hide his desire for him.  He liked that in a guy.

 

Justin, on the other hand, was clearly at a loss as to how to communicate his wants and needs, and was obviously much less experienced when it came to sex.  That much was obvious in the way he would easily blush at him simply after he gave him a certain look, or the way he was unable to hide his gasp of surprise when he had used his foot to probe what felt like a surprisingly large cock on someone so slender.  His tormenting of the younger brother had been quite entertaining; he had gotten a big kick out of evoking such a quick, immediate response out of him.  He couldn't hide his amusement every time Justin either dropped part of his dinner, or physically reacted otherwise to his overtures.  And he thought he would fucking lose it when his mother asked him if he wanted any more meat.  He grinned; that had been _too_ hilarious, watching the blond try furiously to hide his boner as he hastily escaped from the dinner table.

 

The only bad part about the whole evening, in fact, had been his inability to fuck the older boy.  He had never expected to be turned down by some backwater hick from Kentucky (albeit a rather hot one, though); no one, in fact, ever turned Brian Kinney down and it made him highly agitated - as well as totally frustrated.  Normally he would have just dismissed the boy after a stunt like that and gone in search of some other prey, some other _very convenient_ prey...The only thing that stopped him, however, had been the thought of being able to at least temporarily escape his bucolic prison for a while if he played along.  If the guy wound up being as good at fixing cars as he boasted, at least he would have a set of wheels at his disposal soon...

 

"Are you listening to me?"

 

The word _Boy_ didn't spring from his uncle's lips, but as Brian returned his attention to the present and peered over at him, the word was clearly dying to escape from the man's lips.  He sighed, knowing that before he could play he _had_ promised he would do his chores, and despite what his uncle might think, he always kept his promises, no matter _how_ distasteful.

 

"I'm listening," Brian told him glumly as he pulled out a chair and plopped his long body into it.  He reached over for the carafe to pour some of the remaining coffee into his cup.

 

Will nodded as he folded up the newspaper section and placed it beside his plate to give him some direct attention at last.  "Well, that's a start at least," he conceded curtly.  "Your aunt's gone out to the chicken house to get some eggs; she'll be back in soon."  He eyed his nephew intently as Brian took another gulp of his coffee, noticing the boy had put an outrageous amount of sugar in it before adding some milk from the small pitcher sitting in the center of the table.  He always took his black; he couldn't imagine putting all that other gunk in his drink.  He held his tongue as he added, "Speaking of the chicken house, that's going to be your first assignment today.  It's time for the annual cleaning."

 

Brian didn't like the sound of that at all.  The word _cleaning_ was ominous enough; adding the word ‘chicken' to it made it sound downright abominable.  "What KIND of cleaning?" he asked warily, hearing the backdoor screen open and shut as it creaked and banged.

 

Will didn't have a chance to answer immediately as Sarah walked in with a basket of eggs crooked under her arm by the handle.  She eyed both men cautiously, knowing how they liked to spar with each other as she walked up to the kitchen table.  Arching one eyebrow at her husband as a warning before she bent down to give Brian a kiss on the cheek and a small smile, she greeted her nephew.  "Good Morning, Brian," she told him softly.  "Did you sleep well?"

 

"It was okay, "Brian told her grudgingly as she nodded, turning to walk over to the stove and flipping the front burner onto a medium setting.

 

"How do you like your eggs, Brian?"

 

He shrugged.  "Scrambled, I guess, but I don't normally eat them.  Too much cholesterol," he explained.

 

He thought he heard his uncle huff like he had just expressed some sort of sacrilege as she nodded curiously.  "What DO you normally eat for breakfast, then?"

 

"Usually just some whole wheat toast with a little marmalade and some guava juice."

 

"Some _what_?" Will asked, temporarily forgetting their previous conversation.

 

"Guava juice."  _Was his uncle hard of hearing?_ "It's from a tropical fruit."

 

"Never heard of it," Will responded brusquely.  "Out here we have orange juice, period.  That's always been good enough for us."

 

Brian sighed.  "Whatever," he told his aunt as she looked over at him questioningly.  "Orange juice is fine."  Brian had long ago learned how to pick and choose his battles, and arguing with his uncle over what juice to drink for breakfast was way down the list at the moment.

 

Sarah nodded.  "There's juice already mixed up in the fridge.  Would you please go get it, Brian?  There're juice glasses above the sink."

 

Brian nodded as he pushed back from the table and did as she asked while she prepared the eggs and retrieved some homemade honey wheat bread from the corner, wooden bread box cabinet.  Slicing four pieces of bread off the loaf, she plopped them into the stainless steel toaster nearby and began to mix the eggs up with a little milk.

 

"Did you shoo all the chickens out of the coop like I asked, Sarah?" Will asked his wife from his place at the table.

 

Sarah turned her head to look over her shoulder and nodded.  "Yes.  Rhodie didn't want to come out, but I finally managed it.  They're all out in the enclosure now."  At Brian's look of confusion, she smiled.  "Rhodie is our Rhode Island Red.  He definitely thinks he rules the roost - in more ways than one.  He can be very stubborn when he doesn't want to do something.  I had a heck of a time getting him out of the coop so it could be cleaned out."

 

Will smiled then.  "I was just explaining that to Brian when you came in."  He turned to his nephew to explain with more glee than Brian cared for, "Your first chore today is to completely clean out the coop with a rake and the garden hose and then put all new pine shavings back in.  The old bedding needs to be raked up and shoveled into our compost bin behind the coop near Sarah's vegetable garden, and all the nesting boxes need to be completely disinfected and cleaned, also."

 

Brian's mouth hung agape as he stared at his uncle like he had just babbled in a foreign language.  He knew he had agreed to do his chores today, but being up to his armpits in chicken shit was not what he had had in mind.  "You want me...to clean out the _chicken_ _coop_?"  He could barely get the words out.  A vision of him needing fishing waders just to walk around in what must be a ton of chicken muck swam before his eyes as bile rose in his throat merely at the thought.

 

"That's what I said," he uncle repeated as Sarah walked over to slide a portion of the scrambled eggs into each man's plate.  "And it needs to be done immediately after breakfast.  Trust me, you do not want to be working around chicken manure when the sun starts beating down on it, unless you want to be asphyxiated in the process."

 

Sarah returned with a plate of the toast as she placed it down in the middle of the table along with some of her homemade strawberry jam.  "It's because of all the ammonia," she explained as she finally took a seat opposite her husband at the end.  "It's not healthy to breathe it all in.  You need to wear a mask over your mouth and nose while you're cleaning it out, too."

 

"A mask..." Brian murmured in disbelief.  And he thought this would be better than lying on a bunk in prison?  Perhaps he should rethink that option.  "Working in chicken shit..."

 

"Brian, I told you about the language," Will admonished him with a glare.  "It has to be done.  Farm work isn't glamorous.  Now eat up so you can get started on it."  He left no room for argument in his voice.

 

Brian sighed.  He shook his head in disgust as well as resignation, knowing he had to do it.  That didn't mean he wouldn't find some _other_ way to occupy himself later.  All work and no play definitely would make him a dull boy, and he had no intention of ever being called ‘dull.'  "Okay, okay," he grumbled as he reached over with the intention of stabbing some of his fluffy scrambled eggs on his plate.

 

He was stopped by his uncle's hand on his wrist as he glanced over at him.  "Grace first," he was sternly told.  With another sigh, he placed his fork down on the plate and waited until his uncle had said his piece, wondering what he personally had to be thankful FOR.


	6. In Too Deep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian and Justin have a close encounter of the watery kind; Brian discovers the lie that Jared told his brother.

_Later that Same Day..._

_  
_

Brian was somewhat surprised by the lunch his Aunt Sarah had whipped up for him and his uncle; from what little he knew about southern cooking, he had expected some lard-laden fried chicken, potato salad swimming in mayonnaise, and perhaps a piece of chocolate cake with icing two inches thick for their mid-day meal.   Instead, when he arrived back at the house to the sound of a cowbell being rung from a square, wooden pole mounted near the back of the house that signified the food was ready, he was greeted with broccoli coleslaw with low-fat dressing, baked catfish sandwiches on homemade, whole-wheat buns, and collard greens.  A fresh-fruit cup for dessert and unsweetened iced tea (sugar or sweetener optional) rounded out the menu.

 

"Don't knock it if you haven't tried it," Sarah said to her nephew with a smile after Brian turned his nose up - literally - at the sight of the collard greens nestled inside the white, Corelle-type bowl as he took his place beside his aunt and uncle.  "They have a lot of iron and they're very healthy for you.  Try them with a little vinegar on top."

 

Brian leaned over to peer inside the bowl.  "What's in there with them?" he asked warily, as he poked around the inside of the dish with a large serving spoon.

 

"Don't play with the food, Brian," his uncle quietly scolded him, making him feel like he was three years old.  "It's Canadian bacon and red union."  He took the spoon away from his nephew to say grace briefly before he turned to scoop out a generous portion of the greens and place them on his plate.  "If _I_ can get used to this version, so can YOU."

 

Sarah smiled at her husband's grousing.  "Will grew up on classic southern food just like I did.  But a few years ago the doctor warned him about his cholesterol being sky high and his hypertension, so I slowly weaned him off the more fattening versions and started serving him healthier ones.  Neither one of us really miss it much now, and we're both a lot healthier."

 

"Speak for yourself, Missy," Will told his wife sternly, although there was a hint of affection in his voice as well.  Sarah knew he wasn't being critical, not really anyway, although she knew he DID miss some of her famous, batter-fried chicken.  She _did_ make an exception for her prize-winning berry cobbler, though; Will always DID have a soft spot for blackberry cobbler a la mode, except now he enjoyed it with low-fat frozen yogurt instead of vanilla ice cream.  "Give me some of your good old biscuits and gravy any day."  He sighed.  "Those were the good old days..."

 

He looked at her with a sort of half-grin as he reached over to unexpectedly squeeze her hand before letting it go, evoking a smile of delight from his wife in return before she passed the bowl of coleslaw to him.

 

Brian watched their interaction with interest; it was the first time he had really seen his uncle act affectionately toward his aunt, and the first time he had seen him genuinely smile since they had met.

 

"Brian?  Up for a challenge?  You don't seem like the type to back down from anything new."  Sarah held the bowl of collard greens out to him tentatively, knowing her nephew would be unable to resist her gentle dare.  Brian studied the bowl for a few seconds before, with a nod of his head, he accepted the container and spooned a small amount onto his plate.  Squirting a few drops of vinegar onto the greens as his aunt had suggested, he drew a small forkful up to his lips and took a tentative taste.  Both his aunt and uncle watched him curiously as Brian warily chewed the concoction around in his mouth before taking a swallow.

 

"Not bad," he advised in his typical, noncommittal way.  Sarah grinned at him before she, too, took up a forkful of the greens and ate.  The rest of the meal was spent in atypical, congenial silence for a change as they briefly took a break before Brian and his uncle resumed the rest of their duties for the afternoon.

 

* * *

_One Hour Later..._

_  
_

Brian warily eyed the machine from a few feet away.  It looked sort of like a cross between a push mower and a snow blower.  It had a handle and a pull cord to start it like a mower, but it also had rounded blades shrouded by a curved metal piece below it that he had never seen before.  There was no discharge vent, either, like you normally saw on a snow blower to throw the snow off to the sides.  "What the fu...uh, what _is_ it?" he asked with a frown.

 

Standing a few feet away from him in the barn, his uncle scoffed at him softly; it seemed like Checkers was amused as well, for she let out a soft moo at about the same time.  "You've never seen a rototiller before?"

 

"A what?"

 

Will shook his head, still amazed whenever his nephew demonstrated his lack of knowledge regarding farm life.  This boy reminded him in so many ways of Dale that sometimes he forgot there were still distinctive differences, too.  "A rototiller; it's used to break up soil in preparation for crop planting.  I want you to use it on Sarah's vegetable garden."

 

"I walk _behind_ it?" Brian asked incredulously.  The thing appeared to be extremely heavy; it was obviously made entirely of steel from how old it looked; there were definitely no plastic parts on THIS machine like newer models would have.

 

Will huffed out an impatient sigh.  "Of course you walk behind it.  Now roll it out outside and I'll show you how to use it."

 

Brian's gaze swept over longingly to a large, antique-looking red tractor in the far corner of the barn, sitting rather forlornly by itself and partially obscured by a faded, gray, canvas tarp covering most of it.  He had first seen it the other day when he had come out to milk the Walkers' cow and had been immediately intrigued by it.  Any type of machinery fascinated him (well, at least any that he could ride on), and this had been no exception.  He had lifted the tarp off it and hoisted himself up onto the seat and sat there, imagining what it would be like to ride it around the property, what type of motor it had, and just how fast it would go.  At the time, though, he had no key to it or he would have cranked it right up.  Now, though, as he stared over at it, he turned to suggest hopefully, "Why don't you have me use THAT for the garden?  It would be a lot faster."

 

Will narrowed his eyes as he asked, "How do you KNOW about it in the first place?"

 

Brian gave him a sort of ‘ _duh_ ' look.  "I saw it yesterday when I was out here; it's pretty hard to miss."

 

His uncle looked at him with thinly veiled patience as he advised, "Nice try, Brian, but that tractor hasn't run in years.  Trust me, you would never get it started; it's shot.  So the sooner you get started with the tiller, the better.  Times a wasting and Sarah wants that dirt prepared soon so she can start planting.  She does a lot of canning in the fall and she's already behind."

 

Brian looked over again at the tractor emblazoned with _Farmall_ letters etched on the side before he sighed in resignation and, curling his fingers around the cold, metal handle of the tiller, began to push the machinery along in front of him as he followed his uncle out of the barn.

 

* * *

_  
_

_Thirty Minutes Later_

_  
_

"Shit," Brian muttered as he paused in his work to take a ragged breath and wipe his brow with the back of his hand.  He had once more doffed his shirt after putting it back on earlier for lunch, the early afternoon sun now beating down mercilessly on his skin.  He felt like he was roasting - he knew he would have a motherfucker of a sunburn later - and the sweat trickling down his forehead and running into his eyes due to the uncharacteristically high humidity today did nothing to improve his mood.  He had found it rather easy to master the mechanics of using the rototiller once his uncle had shown him, and he was in great shape physically, but he was finding the actual work a lot harder than he had imagined it would be.  The dirt he was churning up was hard as a rock from the lack of rain recently, and as a result he was having to go over the same patch of soil over and over again in order to break it up evenly.  There had to be a better way.

 

"Fuck it," he finally decided as, tilting up the front of the tiller where the rotating blades were, he turned to wheel it back over to the barn.  Turning it off a few minutes later, he gazed over to the tractor for a few moments before walking over to take a better look at it.  Tugging at the heavy canvas tarp to throw it onto the ground, he began by making a thorough inspection of the apparatus.  It had to be at least 60 to 70 years old.   This was the first time he had ever been ‘up close and personal' with a tractor before, and in an odd sense it fascinated him but didn't intimidate him.  Walking slowly around it, he pursed his lips together thoughtfully before he located a metal latch that was holding the top in place.  Pulling on it to disengage it, he soon had the top open and was studying how to hotwire the thing.

 

* * *

_  
_

_Thirty Minutes Later - Inside the Walker Kitchen_

 

Sarah finished washing the last of the dishes as she placed a dinner plate into the drying rack next to the sink.  "Is Brian out with the tiller, Will?"

 

Will took a drink from his water glass and set it down on the kitchen table before he nodded; he had just finished working on their toilet upstairs that had been leaking slightly.  Since their finances had gotten tighter in the past few years, his innate talents as a handyman had served to help them keep their maintenance expenses low.  "Yeah, at least he was starting on it when I came in earlier."  He sighed.  "I still don't know about that boy, Sarah.  He questions everything I say or do.  I can see why he ran afoul of the law.  He's too stubborn for his own good."

 

Sarah set the dishtowel down on the counter next to the sink to walk over and place a hand on her husband's shoulder to face him.  "I don't think he's a bad kid, Will.  I think he just needs the right type of influence and support."  She paused before adding more softly, "And I think he reminds you a lot of Dale...Doesn't he?"

 

Will let out a tense breath between his lips.  Sarah was right; there WERE a lot of similarities between this boy and their only son.  Was that why he was so hard on Brian?  Because every time he looked at him, and heard his sometimes insolent, stubborn replies he was seeing and hearing his son again?  His face contorted into pain as he briefly closed his eyes, the grief still fresh even now.

 

"Will?" Sarah whispered.

 

He opened his eyes back up to see his wife, the woman who had always stood by him in good times as well as bad, looking at him with concern.  Sometimes he thought she knew him better than he did himself.  He tried to smile back at her reassuringly, but he wasn't sure how successful he was being as he nodded his head.  "Yeah," he admitted to her; she was the ONLY one he would admit it to.  "He does remind me of him."

 

She nodded.  "I thought so," she said.  "He reminds me a lot of him, too.  Both stubborn as the day is long, and both so sure of themselves that they know the answers to every question before you even ask it."  She leaned in to rest her chin on her husband's shoulder.  "But we both know that's not true, don't we?"

 

She pulled back to look into her husband's face, seeing the lines etched there from too many nights lost in grief for their son as well as worry over how they would keep their farm afloat.  It had been hard - extremely hard - on both of them these past few years, but more so for her husband.  She knew more than anyone how his gruff exterior merely served to hide the roiling pain that still churned inside of him.  And only she knew what her husband was really like; at least before Dale had died.  How she longed to see that in him again.

 

Will gazed into the eyes of his wife, seeing the young woman he had first met and promptly fallen in love with.  For not the first time, he wondered why she even bothered to endure his constant irascibility and short temper.  Sarah was still relatively young and beautiful; he wasn't blind to the admiring stares from the men in town whenever they thought he wasn't paying attention.  He had no doubt that his intelligent, generous, and sweet wife could have her pick of several men in Versailles.  Why she chose to stick by him was a mystery, especially since Dale had died and he had retreated into himself.  But for whatever reason, she was looking at him with the same expression of love she had always given him, and for that he would be eternally grateful.

 

"I guess we do," he finally admitted to her as he pressed his forehead against hers.  "I just hope my patience doesn't run out before he admits he _needs_ it."

 

As they pulled back a few inches, she grinned at him; he couldn't help grinning back at her in return, seeing the look of quiet joy on her face.  It was a look she was seldom bestowed with and he could tell how happy it made her.  He would have to try somehow to give her that same look more often, he thought to himself, before he noticed a frown appear on her face.  Her gaze was directed over his shoulder at something else as he heard her say almost in a faraway voice, "Will..."

 

"What?"

 

"Uh...isn't that your old tractor?"

 

"What?"  Will turned around to see what his wife was looking at through their kitchen window that overlooked the medium-sized plot of land that hosted her annual vegetable garden each year, and his eyes widened in shock.  It was his old Farmall, all right; and there, perched like a giant, preening peacock on the slightly rusty seat, was their nephew, bouncing along on top like he was an old-time veteran.  The only thing missing was a pair of faded overalls like their son used to wear when HE rode around on it.  His heart skipped a beat as for just a second he thought he saw Dale there instead of Brian before he muttered, "Well, I'll be damned..."  He scratched the top of his head in amazement and blinked to make sure he wasn't just seeing things, but when he opened his eyes back up his nephew was still sitting up on top of the seat like he owned it.

 

Sarah pursed her lips together to keep from laughing at her husband's unexpected slip of profanity before she watched him hurry over toward the back screen door to open it.  "Will, be careful..." she admonished him, knowing he would realize what she meant.

 

Will walked out to the backyard, just in time to intercept boy and tractor as the bulky machine came to a slow, sputtering halt beside him.  Brian peered down at him through mirrored sunglasses as he shouted to be heard.  "You got this contraption to _start_?!" he yelled in amazement.

 

Brian took off his sunglasses, squinting to readjust his eyesight as he peered down at him in an exact duplication of how his son used to look at him whenever he asked a redundant question.  "You really want me to _answer_ that?"

 

Will shook his head before he muttered loudly, "Never mind!  Wait!" he urged him as he heard Brian revving up the engine again and getting ready to head toward the garden.  "I need to show you how to work the cultivator part!"  He stepped up on the running board alongside Brian and reached over to begin demonstrating how the controls worked as Brian nodded his head in understanding.

 

From her viewpoint at the back screen door, Sara's heart leapt at the sight of her husband and nephew working together for a change.  For once, her husband's face was animated and alive, not dull and void of any emotion like it normally was.  She watched as he jumped down from the tractor shortly afterward before Brian put his foot down on the accelerator and the Farmall started to move again.  Soon, she could see dirt being kicked up from her garden patch as their nephew adeptly cut up the cake-like dirt for her vegetable garden.  Will watched, also, for a few moments, satisfied that Brian seemed to know what he was doing, before he turned and flashed a warm smile at his wife.  For the first time, it was one of his ‘pre-accident' smiles and the sight quickly filled Sarah's heart with joy as she smiled back at him in return, her eyes tearing up at the wondrous sight.  Her heart just a little more hopeful now, she decided it was time to break out her canning books.  It looked like she would need them after all.

 

 

* * *

_  
_

_Early Evening_

_  
_

The steady, rhythmic squeaking of springs on the back porch's swing alerted Justin to his mother's presence before he actually saw her.  Sweaty and bone-weary from exercising _Headstrong_ and caring for all the other horses in the stables, he dragged one foot in front of the other as he walked up the narrow stone path to the porch steps and slowly ascended the stairs.  "Hi, Mom," he called over to his mother as he turned to the right to walk over and join her on their Amish-built, cedar porch swing.  The swing was his mother's favorite piece of furniture on the porch - eight feet long and made of narrow, cedar slats with a curved top, it was somewhat more expensive than typical swings, but they had found it last summer at a flea market and his mother had found that she just had to have it.  Insisting that it was being purchased strictly from her honey profits, she had talked Craig into carting it home in their trailer, and since then she had spent many an early evening in the swing, relaxing with a glass of iced tea and listening to the night sounds that enveloped them.  It was one of the things that she loved about living in the country - the ability to appreciate all that nature had to give them, and enjoy that special time between the waning light of early evening and dusk when the world seemed to stopped moving quite so quickly.

 

She smiled fondly at her tired son.  "Hi, Honey," she greeted him as he plopped down beside her with a groan.  "You look exhausted."  She couldn't help reaching up to briefly ruffle the top of his hair fondly, just like she used to do when Justin was a young child.

 

He nodded as he let out a breath between his lips.  "It's only June!" he grumbled.  "It's not _supposed_ to be this humid yet!"

 

She smiled at him, reaching over to pour a glass of iced tea into a spare, plastic, insulated tumbler glass, the kind that kept drinks colder for a longer period of time.

 

"Thanks," he said with a grateful smile as she handed it to him.  He looked around.  "Where's Jared and Dad?" he asked curiously.

 

She twisted her lips wryly.  "Where do you think?" she asked him.  "Your brother finally got done with his chores, so he and your father are..."

 

"...Out in the barn working on that car," Justin supplied for her as Jennifer nodded; he could hear faint banging sounds now coming from the direction of the storage barn.   He sighed.  "That's a big surprise," he stated sarcastically.  He rubbed his left hand through his sweat-slicked, stiff hair.   "I am so tired," he admitted.  "And I'm all sweaty now, too."  He looked over toward the back door.  "I'm not looking forward to going upstairs to all that heat at the moment.  And a hot shower doesn't exactly sound very appealing, either."

 

She nodded sympathetically.  "Why don't you walk down to the lake and take a swim instead?" she suggested.   "As hot as it's been lately, the water should feel really nice now."

 

Justin's eyes lit up at the thought.  "That sounds like a great idea," he told her.  "Do you mind if I skip dinner and just grab a sandwich when I get back?  Besides, I'm so icky and grimy right now, I don't think I'd make a great dinner companion."

 

She laughed as she wound her arm around her son's shoulder and hugged him to her briefly before letting him go.  "You ARE awfully stinky," she teased him as she felt the wetness through his sweat-soaked shirt.  "You smell like a workhorse."

 

He grinned at her as he replied facetiously, "I can't imagine why."  He quickly gulped down the rest of his tea and set it down on the small, white, oval-shaped, wicker table in front of them before he placed his hands palm-down on his thighs and pushed himself up into a standing position.  "I'll be back in a little while, then," he told her as he turned to go.

 

"Be careful, Honey," Jennifer couldn't help calling out to him.  She knew her youngest son could take care of himself, and that out here there really wasn't much to worry about safety-wise, but that still didn't keep her from saying it anyway.

 

Justin gave her a long-suffering look.  "Mom...I'll be fine," he assured her.  "I'll be back in a couple of hours, okay?"

 

She smiled a little sheepishly.  "Okay.  I'll save some leftover roast beef for you from dinner so you can make a sandwich with it later."

 

He nodded gratefully as he trotted down the steps, still sensing the oppressive humidity practically smothering him but looking forward to a nice, cool dip in the lake that was situated toward the back of their property.  It was surrounded by a grove of sycamore and cedar trees that kept it much cooler than the rest of their farm, especially on days like this.  It was one of his favorite spots on the farm, a perfect place for a little recreation as well as a great location to do some sketching. 

 

He had lost track of how many times he had sat on the bank, lost in his work as he sketched a landscape of the terrain or drew one of their horses from memory.  Typically it was one of _Headstrong_ , but he had also drawn _True Blue_ on several occasions.  TB, as he not-so-fondly called him at times, should have been the one to be called ‘headstrong,' actually, because the name definitely fit.  The horse was obstinate, stubborn, and downright pigheaded, but also could be dangerous.  Even though he prided himself on how well he could handle horses, and how they seemed to naturally migrate toward him, he had long given up on THAT one.  Of course, the horse hadn't originally belonged to them, anyway; he had been the Walkers' horse, or to be more precise, Dale's.  Perhaps the horse's heart had been broken when Dale had died, too, much like his parents' had; before it happened he had never recalled the horse acting that way.  Now, though, even HE shied away from him, leaving it up to Vic to care for the horse as much as possible while keeping a respectful distance from him.

 

He shook his head, forcing his mind away from such depressing thoughts, as he hurried toward the watering hole; it was a medium-sized lake, actually, constructed several years ago mainly for serving herds of cattle.  But as the farm's focus had shifted from raising livestock to caring for racehorses, its purpose had changed to more of an amusement for him and his brother now, not to mention some of their other schoolmates who enjoyed frequenting it, especially on days like this.  Today, though, Justin was glad that he would be alone, because he had a lot to think about:  the horse race coming up, his education, his parents' financial situation, and last but certainly not least, a certain cocky but unforgettable neighbor boy who both fascinated him as well as totally exasperated the hell out of him.

 

As he threaded through the narrow, dirt path that curved back and forth among the thicket of trees, he could almost feel his stress level lowering with each step as eventually he caught his first glimpse of the placid, sparkling water ahead; he could hear the loud staccato sound of a pileated woodpecker nearby, high up in a dead oak tree, as he began to unbutton his shirt and jeans.  He threw the shirt on the ground, his jeans, shoes, and socks quickly joining it on the bank as he pulled his briefs down to shimmy out of them.  He could feel the cooler breeze blowing on his heated skin as he stood there unclothed, the wind caressing him gently, as he walked over to the edge of the lake and tentatively poked his big toe into the water.

 

"Ahhh," he smiled in pleasure as he noted the tepid temperature.  "Perfect..."  Walking around to an adjacent, more highly elevated part of the bank where a chunk of jagged rock stuck out prominently over the water, he reached up to grab onto the thick grapevine hanging overhead and with a joyous, childish cry of "cowabunga!", he swung out onto the surface of the lake and let go of the vine, dropping with a decided splash into one of the deeper parts of the water.

 

A few minutes later, he was happily floating on his back, enjoying the cool refreshment of the water as he closed his eyes in blissful peace, temporarily forgetting his anxiety.

 

* * *

_  
_

_Same Time_

 

"Shit!" Brian groused as the bare skin of his wrist came into contact with a blackberry thorn.  From the stinging sensation he felt, he knew there would no doubt be an ugly, red streak tomorrow where the thorn had torn across his arm.  "This had fucking better be worth it," he muttered as he made sure to keep to the dirt trail his aunt had told him about.

 

He had been astounded a little earlier when his uncle had actually complimented him on his preparation of the ground for his aunt's garden, and he had almost fallen over in shock when the man had grudgingly mumbled a ‘thank you' for bringing the tractor back to life after he had declared it non-repairable.  Brian himself couldn't really explain HOW he had done it; he had just jiggled a bunch of wires, tightened up bolts and screws and unfamiliar parts that appeared to be loose, and with a ‘Hail Mary' in tribute to his mother he had joined the two wires together to hotwire it.  The engine had sputtered and coughed out billowing rolls of black exhaust smoke initially, almost choking the shit out of him, before it had miraculously come to life. 

 

Tentative at first, the engine became smoother and smoother until finally it was running steadily without any gaps.  Once he had finished the plowing in record time and had returned to the barn, turning the antique tractor off, his uncle had grabbed the key from a ledge above one of the doors, jammed it into the ignition slot and turned it to the right to make sure it would start again, and discovered surprisingly that it did.  He repeated the action once more just to make sure it wasn't a fluke before, muttering to himself that he ‘still didn't believe it,' he cocked his baseball-capped head over at Brian to declare, "I don't know how you did it, Brian, but...thanks."

 

The last word came out so softly that Brian thought at first he had misunderstood.  "What was that last word again?  I'm sure I didn't hear that right."

 

His uncle had sighed in exasperation.  Raising his voice, he had heard him clearly the second time.  "I said...THANK YOU."

 

He recalled his uncle looking at him curiously as he had looked around like he was searching for something.  "What?" he had asked him, perturbed.

 

Brian remembered smirking then.  "I'm just making sure the earth isn't going to swallow me up whole."

 

His uncle had huffed at him.  "Very funny," he had retorted.  "Let's go - your aunt's got some homemade frozen yogurt in the freezer that she made earlier."  He had paused to study him.  "You like vanilla?"

 

Brian had bitten back a snappy comeback, wanting desperately to remark that it was cock size that mattered, not their skin color, but he wisely chose to bite his tongue and had simply nodded his head before saying, "Yeah, I do."

 

His uncle had nodded.  "Let's go, then." And with that, he had turned and walked out of the barn, Brian following several steps behind him.

 

It was during those bowls of amazing vanilla frozen yogurt a few minutes later that his aunt had mentioned a swimming hole - or more accurately, a medium-sized lake - on the Taylor property that was often used to cool off with during the particularly hot months of July and August, which were typically known for their high humidity and temps in the 90's, making everyone who didn't have central air conditioning especially miserable.  She had mentioned that Jennifer had often told her that whenever they wanted to use it, they were welcome to do so.

 

Feeling particularly grubby after his work in the chicken coop and from tilling the garden soil, Brian had welcomed the idea, thinking the lake sounded like a perfect alternative to taking a shower.  So with instructions on how to get there, he had quickly set off in search of the watery oasis.

 

Now, as he came out into a clearing and saw the body of water he had been searching for, he noticed immediately that he wasn't the _only_ one taking advantage of a respite from strenuous labor.  He quickly ducked around a large cedar tree nearby before craning his head around carefully to take a closer look at the person in the water.  His eyes widened and he smiled in delight over his good fortune as he recognized Justin Taylor lying fully relaxed about twenty feet away from the nearest bank.  He was floating on his back with his eyes closed, the placid water lapping like gentle caresses around his flawless, creamy-colored skin.

 

Brian began to salivate at the wondrous sight in front of him. Justin's cock, relaxed and heavy, was bobbing in the water, giving him just a brief, tantalizing peek of it as it surfaced and then dived back under again and again like some sexy submarine.  He licked his lips in anticipation, wondering what it would be like to take that organ in his mouth and suck on it, taste it, indulge in it.  He could almost feel the silkiness of it, the bulk of it, the wet warmth.  He had never had sex in a lake, but as he continued to openly admire the compact, oh-so-perfectly proportioned body of the younger Taylor boy floating effortlessly on top of the bluish-green water, he was getting painfully hard just thinking about it.

 

Watching to make sure that Justin didn't open his eyes, he smiled as he began to peel his own clothes off, noticing the other boy's attire lying nearby in a heap on the dry, dirt ground.  A wicked inspiration occurred to him as he quickly discarded the rest of his clothes and, draping them over a low-hanging limb of the cedar tree, walked over to pick up the other boy's clothing and shoes from their place on the ground.  Looking around hurriedly, he found a large tree stump with a hollowed-out crevice in it about fifteen feet away.  Walking over to the dead oak tree, he hurriedly bunched up the clothes and shoes and stuffed them as far back into the hole as he could, over to the right where they couldn't be easily detected.  Grinning at his cleverness, he quickly turned and walked toward the bank, feeling his cock hardening even more as he kept a close eye on his prey.

 

Impatient to get to Justin, but also knowing he had to be stealthy, he slowly entered the lake and began to wade over to him in the chest-deep water, relieved that it wasn't frigidly cold but pleasantly temperate as he carefully crept closer and closer to the other boy.  As he got nearer to him, his estimation of his prize rose dramatically.  The boy was heavenly.  Not a blemish on his slightly sun-kissed skin, downy, almost unnoticeable fine hairs on his arms and legs, a flat belly and just the right amount of definition in his chest, with perky little pink, water-wrinkled nipples poking skyward, just begging to be worshipped by his tongue and teeth.  And his cock; shit, it was even more impressive than he had imagined on someone smaller than him.  Smooth, large and thick, just waiting to be thoroughly suckled while he drove the boy into a state of delirium. The younger Taylor boy may have been shorter in stature, but when it came to what really counted, the good lord had definitely blessed him and now Brian was going to reap the benefits.

 

He forced his gaze upward to Justin's face, so peaceful and unsuspecting in its relaxed state.  Perfect button nose, delicate, gracefully-curved ears, absurdly-long eyelashes, and that mouth; that full, luscious mouth that just begged to be kissed and was so perfectly shaped for giving him head.  It was almost too much for him to contemplate and he couldn't wait to explore every delectable inch.

 

He was about four feet away when all of a sudden his left foot stepped on a sharp, jagged rock on the lake bed and he couldn't help the cry of pain that rose involuntarily from his lips.  His heart hammered in his chest as with dismay he noticed Justin's eyes pop open in startled surprise and he knew his task had suddenly become just a bit more challenging...

 

* * *

 

Justin's heart almost stopped and his eyes threatened to bulge out of his head as he heard a male voice cry out practically on top of him.  His body flushing a dark pink in instant realization as to who it was, he scissored his legs frantically until he could find the security of the lake bottom underneath before he turned around to stand face to face with a very wet, very bare-chested Brian.  The boy's hair was blowing rebelliously in the gentle breeze, his tanned skin sparkling with beads of water, and his chest was heaving lightly up and down as he stared over at him intently with those golden-green eyes.  God, he was magnificent!  Wondering what the handsome boy had on - or worse yet, _didn't_ have on - Justin tried furiously to sound more assertive than he actually was as he growled, "You scared the _shit_ out of me, Brian!  What the fuck are you doing here?"

 

The other boy had the gall to smirk back at him as he replied truthfully, "I was admiring the view."  His eyes slowly raked down Justin's face and then lower, moving toward his chest and then even more downward, making Justin feel like he could see straight through the water, even though he knew it was just murky enough to be impossible.

 

Justin had no doubt the boy's active imagination was working on overdrive at the moment, not that he had to imagine _anything_ ; after all, he had just seen ALL of him - at least the frontal part - in pure, unobstructed and unabashed glory.  He blushed profusely at the realization and crossed his arms over his chest protectively as he replied, "Well, the _sightseeing_ tour is over, Brian.  And you're on private property.  So get out!"

 

Brian chuckled.  "No problem," he said.  "But are you sure you want me to do that?"  He proceeded to walk closer instead of heading back toward the bank as he told the younger boy in a stage whisper as if in mock horror, "I'm wearing my birthday suit, too, you know," emitting a sort of throaty, and decidedly sexy laugh that made Justin began to retreat from him, waving his hands in the water like oars to try and escape faster as he began to back away.

 

The impossibly blue eyes flashed over at Brian as Justin warned, "Stay away from me, Brian!  I'm warning you!"

 

Brian laughed even harder, thoroughly enjoying the fiery look on the blond's face and his show of bravado even in the midst of extremely uneven odds.  "Oh, you want to play tag?  Well, I used to love that game as a kid.  Okay, have it your way, then.  You're IT!"  he said with a smile as he began to advance confidently now, knowing it wouldn't be too long before he could capture Justin's body against his and taste the full, lush lips that were pursed so tightly together at the moment in righteous irritation before he spun him around and rammed his hot, hard cock into an ass he already knew was just perfect for that purpose.  He was getting closer and closer... _just a few more seconds_...His cock was throbbing painfully now...he was _so damned ready_...

 

To his surprise, Justin abruptly stopped backing away, even though he was continuing to walk toward him. Instead, he stood his ground, crossing his arms over his chest again as he told his pursuer quietly, "I'm nobody's second choice, Brian.  This is your last chance!"

 

Brian stopped momentarily to stare over at the blond spitfire in confusion; surely Justin knew he could never outrun him, so there was no hurry, even though he was finding his resistance very intriguing.  So why had he stopped, then?  Actually he didn't care WHAT the reason was; he HAD to have this boy now!  But his prey's words registered at last in his mind as he replied, "What the fuck are you talking about, Justin?"

 

"You heard me, Brian!" Justin fired back.  "I'm not going to be your _consolation prize_!  Go find some OTHER boy to fuck!  I'm sure that wouldn't be very hard."

 

Brian chuckled at the other boy's fiery impertinence.  He had NO idea just how 'hard' things were at the moment, but he would soon find out...Justin had to realize he was fighting a losing battle.  He _always_ got whoever he wanted and the more Justin fought, the more he wanted HIM.  He found the younger boy's courage to stand his ground fascinating.  He once more began to confidently advance toward the blond, his cock, his whole body longing now for a taste of the beautiful boy who was finding some inner strength to combat him still, even in the face of what was a certainty.

 

"What if I want YOU?" Brian asked him in a sultry tone of voice as he continued to get ever closer; he wondered about the benefits of buoyancy in water while he and Justin fucked, the idea making his entire body thrum with anticipation.  He couldn't wait any longer; he had never wanted anything as badly as he wanted this boy right now.  _How could he have been so blind?_ he thought, as he stared over at him.  Yes, Jared was hot:  confident, handsome, and cocky.  He was attractive in a smoldering, dark sort of way, and the guy knew it, too.  In fact, Brian was beginning to realize just how boring such predictability could be.  He was TOO much like himself.  But THIS beautiful boy - this one was unlike any boy he had ever been with.  This one had the gall to actually _challenge him_ , to make him feel unsure of himself, Brian Kinney, the boy who always got any one he wanted; this one seemed to delight in tripping him up at every turn, always keeping him on his toes in spite of his obvious inexperience with sex.  Fuck, he was _amazing_!  Why hadn't he seen it before? To his astonishment, Justin actually smiled at his rhetorical question then. 

 

"Well, sorry, but I don't want YOU!"  Justin knew it was a bald-faced lie as soon as he said it, though; the boy practically dripped with desire for him, and with his chest all wet and rivulets of water flowing down from his bronze, god-like face to his flat stomach, Brian was breathtaking; at least he knew HE was struggling to breathe at the moment.  Just knowing the boy was completely nude from the waist down made his mouth go dry.  He was half-tempted to stop his plan from taking hold, but he just couldn't let this cocky bastard get away with thinking he was just a fish waiting to be caught at the end of his hook.

 

"I don't believe that for one second, Justin," Brian said, now almost within touching distance of the other boy.  He stared transfixed at the expressive blue eyes that were defiantly glaring back at him.   "You want me as much as I want you.  Why are you fighting me?  You wouldn't if you knew what I'm going to do when I catch you.  You want to know, don't you?" he asked, his voice a husky whisper now that they were so close.

 

Justin's eyes darkened in barely-concealed desire as Brian's lips turned upward into a look of triumph.  "First I'm going to kiss that look of indignation right off your face," he vowed as he got closer and closer.  _Just a few more inches...almost there...  
_

_  
_

"Then I'm going to grab you and turn you around so fast your fucking head will spin at the pace," he growled, now almost able to feel Justin's satiny-looking skin under his touch.  "And then...then I'm going to ram my cock into your pretty little ass so hard that..."

 

He never got all the words out as, all of a sudden, he felt his feet give way beneath him as they came into contact with a break in the bottom of the lake bed and he found himself without any support underneath him; he was able to give Justin one quick look of stunned shock before he was unexpectedly pulled under into the deeper part of the lake; it took him several seconds to resurface, just long enough for Justin to scurry away, his legs and arms confidently cutting through the calm water as he swam toward the bank where he had first entered.

 

As Brian re-emerged on top of the surface, he spit out the large amount of water he had took in through his mouth as he looked around for Justin who had quickly disappeared; as he treaded over to a place where his feet finally touched the bottom again, he turned to observe his target now out of the water and peering over at him from behind a tree.  Even though he looked silly hiding his nude body from his sight, the boy still had the audacity to call out to him smugly, "I forgot to mention that there's a sharp fall-off over there."

 

Brian's face darkened in embarrassment. Once more the boy had proven to be quite unpredictable, but this time he wasn't finding it quite so amusing.  "What the hell?"

 

Justin shrugged.  "I told you I wasn't anyone's second choice, Brian," he reminded him, his hands wrapped tightly around either side of the tree's trunk like a shield of armor.

 

Brian forced a confident smile on his face as the cockiness returned.  "Well, I hope you brought some sunscreen with you, then, because your clothes seem to be missing.  I'd hate to see that hot little ass of yours get all red and sunburned.  You can always come back into the water with ME, though."  His eyes widened in dread, however, as Justin oddly grinned back at him, turning HIM into the uncomfortable one now. 

 

"That's okay," Justin told him matter-of-factly as he held up a familiar-looking pair of jeans and a pair of black sneakers.  "I found someone _else's_ clothes conveniently hanging from that tree branch over there.  But don't worry; I'm sure you can always wear MY clothes home!"  Quickly slipping his shorter legs into the larger-sized jeans before rolling up the cuffs, Justin finally emerged from behind the tree as he slid his feet into the expensive sneakers.   He ignored the intoxicating scent of the other boy that still lingered on the shirt that was held in his hands as his face lost its smile and he told Brian with deadly calm, unable to hide the hurt and sadness evident in his voice, "Just because you let Jared fuck you doesn't mean that I'm going to let you fuck ME," before he quietly turned and walked away, leaving a speechless, older boy with his mouth agape in the water.

 

An ugly epiphany bloomed inside Brian as he realized exactly what Justin had meant, and his face contorted into fury.  It was time to have a little talk with Jared.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_TBC - very soon.:)_


	7. The Sting of Rejection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian vows to confront Jared regarding his lie; Justin ponders the difference between attraction and pride.

_Last Chapter:  
_

_Brian forced a confident smile on his face as the cockiness returned.  "Well, I hope you brought some sunscreen with you, then, because your clothes seem to be missing.  I'd hate to see that hot little ass of yours get all red and sunburned.  You can always come back into the water with ME, though."  His eyes widened in dread, however, as Justin oddly grinned back at him, turning HIM into the uncomfortable one now._

_"That's okay," Justin told him matter-of-factly as he held up a familiar-looking pair of jeans and a pair of black sneakers.  "I found someone_ _else's_ _clothes conveniently hanging from that tree branch over there.  But don't worry; I'm sure you can always wear MY clothes home!"  Quickly slipping his shorter legs into the larger-sized jeans before rolling up the cuffs, Justin finally emerged from behind the tree as he slid his feet into the expensive sneakers.   He ignored the intoxicating scent of the other boy that still lingered on the shirt that was held in his hands as his face lost its smile and he told Brian with deadly calm, unable to hide the hurt and sadness evident in his voice, "Just because you let Jared fuck you doesn't mean that I'm going to let you fuck ME," before he quietly turned and walked away, leaving a speechless, older boy with his mouth agape in the water._

_An ugly epiphany bloomed inside Brian as he realized exactly what Justin had meant, and his face contorted into fury.  It was time to have a little talk with Jared._

_  
_

* * *

 

The attraction of swimming in the refreshing lake water suddenly lost its allure as Brian watched Justin hurriedly shrug into his jeans and slide his arms through the sleeves of his shirt.  Without another sound, Justin gave him one last, sad look before he turned and disappeared from sight a few seconds later, the cuffs scraping slightly against the dirt as he walked.

 

Brian stood there watching him go, too stunned to say or do anything.  His face was red with both embarrassment as well as rage.   Justin thought that he had let Jared top him?  That could be the only possible explanation.  How DARE he spread that type of lie about him?  He didn't bottom for ANYBODY, and he sure as hell didn't appreciate someone insinuating such.

 

His fury over being lied about drove Brian out of the water in record time as he pulled up short on the bank a few minutes later.  He was going to have a showdown with Jared very shortly, but first there was the issue of his missing clothes.  He walked over to the nearby hollow tree to retrieve Justin's clothing, which by now were wrinkled and encrusted with chips of wood from the decaying tree.  Turning his nose up at the sight as he held the shirt up in front of him, he gave it a wary look, wondering how in the hell he was going to get back to his aunt and uncle's farm with clothes that were not his and were obviously the wrong size.

 

"Shit," he muttered as he threw the shirt down on the ground and picked up Justin's jeans and held them up against his waist.  There was no fucking way he could wear these without looking like some yokel sporting a pair of denim knickers.  What choice did he have, though?  At least the blond's ample ass should give him more than enough room to shrug into them, and it was either that or saunter back to the farmhouse in his birthday suit.  That didn't particularly bother HIM, but he didn't want to be responsible for giving his Aunt Sarah a heart attack, either.

 

A few minutes later, he was standing there with the loose-fitting jeans on, the cuffs at least four inches too short for his long legs.  Feeling utterly ridiculous, he scooped up Justin's shoes and underwear to stuff them into the shirt and tied the flaps together before turning to walk back up the dirt trail leading away from the lake, careful not to step on anything in his bare feet and dodging more blackberry thorns along the way.  He rolled his eyes, feeling like a modern-day version of Huckleberry Finn.  All he needed now was a stick to attach the balled-up clump of clothing to, and he would definitely look the part.  He sighed in disgust over the image that was projected as he ran smack into a spider web stretched across the pathway and came up with a mouthful of the sticky substance in his face and his eyes.  "Shit!" he growled as he wiped it away and shook his hand up and down violently in an unsuccessful attempt to get rid of it.  He finally had to wipe his hand off on some leaves in order to dislodge it.  _Could this get any worse?_

 

As he came out of the clearing, he spotted a familiar blond head nearing the Taylor yard and wondered if Justin would have the same problem that he might have - trying to explain why he wasn't wearing his own clothes.  He watched as the other boy walked up to the front gate and promptly hid behind one of the front bushes near the steps.  Snickering at his juvenile antics, he then observed him stealthily creeping up the front porch and cupping his hands to one of the front windows as he peeked inside before, finally, he opened the front screen door and quickly entered the house.  _Sneaky little shit_ , he couldn't help thinking in an oddly admirable way.  Justin, however, had it lucky - at least HIS purloined clothes were more than enough to cover him and he had his good, quality clothes; he, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of jeans that probably came from some ad straight out of the _Farmer's Almanac._

_  
_

At that moment, he would have liked nothing better than to march over to the Taylor house and have it out with that fuckin liar Jared, but he thought it wiser to go change his clothes first.  Steeling his jaw in determination, he veered off toward the left, keeping to the edge of the woods as he carefully made his way back over to the Walker farm.  As he got closer to the property line separating his aunt and uncle's farm from the Taylor farm, he quickly ducked behind the large trunk of an oak tree as he spied his uncle walking into the barn where Checkers was housed, thanking his lucky stars that he was able to elude his uncle's scrutiny.  Blowing out a sigh of relief as his uncle disappeared inside, he held the bag of clothing by his teeth as he walked over to the fence and scaled the side of it, hoping he didn't wind up with a splinter in his foot in the process.  Hopping down and keeping a watchful eye on the barn to make sure his uncle didn't come back out, he quietly walked toward the front of the house, not paying the ground any mind until he felt a sharp, unexpected stinging sensation on the top of his left foot.

 

"Fuck!" he cried out as he bent his leg at the knee and picked his foot up, noticing a bee stinger protruding from the arch of his foot.  "I don't believe this!"  He winced as he pulled the stinger out, trying as best he could to ignore the acute pain shooting up his lower leg.  Hobbling along now in an effort to get out of sight from his uncle's possible detection, he managed to limp up the porch and was about to open the door to quietly enter when Solomon, the Walker's beagle, came bounding up to him and began to circle around him eagerly for attention.

 

"Amscray, Mutt," he muttered to the dog as he looked around warily, "go find a fox to hunt."  But his words to the dog merely served to encourage him further as Solomon began to bay excitedly at him with a loud, booming bark.

 

"Shhh!" he hissed.  "Are you trying to blow my cover here?"  He quickly reached for the doorknob just as he found it opening on its own.

 

Sarah frowned as she opened the door wider, her eyes sweeping over her nephew's tousled-looking damp hair, bare chest, and jeans that appeared to be way too short for him.  He was holding a ball of clothing in his hands and was missing his shoes.  "Brian?  What happened to you?"

 

_Great_.  _Thanks, Dog,_ he silently berated the beagle as he stepped inside; Solomon trotted along happily at his heels and promptly scampered down the hallway toward the kitchen, no doubt in search of his food bowl or some water.  Sure enough, a few seconds later he heard the distinctive sound of water being lapped up.

 

"I got stung by a bee," he informed his aunt, as if that would explain how he looked. At least it seemed to temporarily divert his aunt from more probing questions, however, as she furrowed her brow and took him by the forearm.

 

"You poor thing," she murmured sympathetically, wisely choosing not to press her nephew further as she led him over to the couch.  "Sit down and I'll go get something to take care of it. Where did you get stung?"

 

Brian sat down on the edge of the worn but clean couch.  "On the top of my left foot," he told her through gritted teeth; for something relatively minor, the sting hurt like hell.

 

"You're not allergic, are you?" she asked worriedly as she helped Brian to put his foot up on top of the coffee table.

 

Brian shook his head.  "No, but it smarts like crazy."

 

She nodded as she took a quick look at it, noticing only some redness and perhaps a little swelling there.  "Just try to relax and I'll be right back."

 

Brian glanced over toward the hallway leading to the kitchen, worried that he would be busted any minute by his uncle and not wanting to deal with having to explain his strange appearance.  "Uh, no, it's okay," he hastily tried to dissuade her.  "It's not that big a deal; I'll just go upstairs and find something in the bathroom for it."

 

But Sarah was undaunted.  "No, you need to put some ice on it to reduce the swelling, and have the wound cleaned.  Just stay put."  For a smaller woman, Sarah could be quite commanding when she used the right tone of voice; Brian didn't know if it was because she sounded remarkably like his own mother, or she was just naturally imbued with an authoritative, calming presence, but something in her voice told him to comply as he nodded back at her.

 

A few minutes later, she returned with a wooden serving tray holding a plastic bag of ice, a kitchen towel, a metal dishpan containing some other items to take care of the wound, and a coffee can.  Placing the items down on the coffee table in front of her, she dipped a clean washcloth into the coffee can filled with tepid, soapy water and began to gently clean the wound.   "Are you allergic to any medicine, either?" she asked as she placed the cloth back into the water a few minutes later and used the corner of her clean apron to gently dry the infected area.

 

Brian was amazed with how methodical she was and by how gently she tended to him as he shook his head.  "No, not that I know of."

 

Sarah nodded as she reached for a small bowl that held a baggie filled with a few tablespoons of water.  "I'll get you some anti-histamine and ibuprofen for the pain, then, as soon as I'm done."  She pulled open the zippered plastic bag and poured the water into the bowl as she reached into the bin again for a small, plastic bottle of some sort.

 

As she continued to administer to her nephew, she couldn't miss Brian's repeated, worried glance toward the back of the house.  "He'll be gone for a while," she gently reassured him.

 

"Who?"  Brian asked, trying to sound ignorant.  Inside, though, his heart was beating anxiously that he would be caught any minute and he knew his aunt was well aware of who they were talking about.  It wasn't that he was scared of his uncle; he just didn't want to be put through yet another inquisition.

 

"Your uncle," she replied anyway, playing along with him.  "He's in the barn taking care of the animals for the night, and then he always comes and sits on the front porch with the radio afterward to listen to the Reds game.  He won't be in for at least a couple of hours yet."  She sighed softly.  "He does it every night during the summer."  Just once she wished they could do something _together_ and actually converse with each other.  They had always done that...Before the accident.

 

Brian nodded, knowing it was useless to play dumb.  Who _else_ could he be talking about around here, anyway?

 

Sarah unscrewed the small container's lid, placing it down on the coffee table next to the bowl of water.  Brian noticed it had holes on the top like a spice jar.  Reaching to retrieve a toothbrush, he watched as she poured the tablespoons of water into the bowl and began to sprinkle some auburn-colored powder into it to create a paste.

 

When Brian was finally able to read the label on the container, he turned to look at his aunt as if she had lost her mind.  "Meat tenderizer?  What's that for?  I'm not some piece of tough steak."

 

Sarah laughed softly as she swished the water and powder together with the clean toothbrush to help thicken it.  "You'd be amazed what sort of home remedies we use here for medicinal purposes," she explained as she applied some of the paste to the brush and slowly rubbed it over the sting.  "Out here we can't just run to the drugstore every time something happens to us.  The tenderizer has an enzyme in it that helps to break down the bee venom."  She smiled understandingly at her nephew's look of doubt.  "Don't worry - you won't smell like beef, and it'll help with the itching and the discomfort."

 

Brian shook his head, temporarily forgetting his other problems.  "Now I've heard of everything," he murmured as his aunt finished applying the odd concoction and returned all the items to the metal dishpan.

 

"Here," Sarah said quietly as she handed him the cloth-covered ice bag.  "Apply this to the sting for a little while; it will help reduce the swelling."  Brian nodded as he did as he was told.

 

Sarah had an opportunity to study her nephew a little more closely as he pressed the bag to the top of his foot.  There was no way that these were the same clothes that Brian had worn on the way to the lake.  "Brian, whose clothes are those?" she asked softly, no judgmental or scolding tone to her voice, merely an inquisitive one.

 

Brian lifted his gaze to stare into his aunt's face; it was a kindly face, similar in feature to his mother's physically, but that was where the similarity ended.  His mother always looked so cold and impassive when she talked to him as if she were just waiting for him to screw up again.  His Aunt Sarah, on the other hand, had been nothing but kind to him ever since he had come here, and he could tell she wasn't accusing him of anything,  just merely wondering what any normal person would wonder - how he left wearing one set of clothes and returned wearing another.  How in the hell was he going to explain this to his aunt, though, so she wouldn't be shocked?

 

He sighed softly as he met her gaze, deciding for once that maybe the honest, straightforward approach was the best.  "They...They belong to Justin."  _There...At least it was out now..._

_  
_

Sarah frowned.  "Justin?  How in the world did you wind up with his clothes instead of yours?"

 

Brian fidgeted on the couch and averted his eyes downward to look at the ice bag again as he replied, "I saw him - down at the lake.  He was there when I arrived."  Sarah remained silent as her nephew explained, "He was floating on top of the lake...without his clothes on."  For a few seconds, his allowed his thoughts to stray back to that first moment when he had  first seen Justin out in the water; even now, the image of the other boy and his beauty was seared into his brain and he had to force himself to steer his thoughts away for fear his attraction to him would become obvious, even to his unsuspecting aunt.

 

To her credit, his aunt didn't bat an eye over that provocative statement, though; in fact, she actually grinned.  "Well, you wouldn't catch ME and Will doing that - not at our age now, anyway - but I imagine the Taylor boys would do it on their own property and away from prying eyes."  She lowered her voice to more of a conspiratorial-type whisper as she revealed to him, "Don't tell your uncle I told you this, but it's really nothing new.  Your uncle and I used to do that same thing over at that watering hole all the time when we were first married.  Nothing would cool us off more than some skinny dipping after a hard day's work on the farm, especially during the hot summer months.  This kind of weather is unusual this time of year here, though; it's normally not this hot yet."  She felt her face warm a little in embarrassment over what she had just divulged as she reached over to take the ice bag away from her nephew and place it in the bin; trying to keep her voice neutral, she added softly, "That still doesn't explain how YOU wound up with Justin's clothes."

 

Brian gnawed on his lower lip for a moment before he decided he could trust her not to be judgmental; at least this would be a good test of that theory anyway.  "Well...I thought it would be kind of fun to hide his clothes from him as a practical joke, so I stuffed them in the hollow of a tree when he wasn't looking.  Then when I waded into the water to surprise him, he wound up turning the tables on me."  He deliberately didn't tell her how amazingly hot Justin had looked there lying on his back totally naked or how he had unashamedly pursued him; he figured there was only so much his conservative aunt could handle at one time.

 

"How did he do that?" she asked, watching him intently now in rapt fascination.

 

"He neglected to tell me that there's a steep drop in the water in one part of the lake and he led me right over to it."

 

Sarah nodded with a laugh.  "Yeah, I know... over by the large grape vine."

 

Brian's eyes widened in surprise.  "You know about that?"

 

She nodded again with a smile.  "Yeah...that old oak tree has had that grape vine hanging down from it for years; we used to swing from it and drop into the lake there all the time when we went swimming.  It was a lot of fun."

 

Brian huffed.  "Well, someone conveniently avoided telling me about it and I wound up being pulled under into the deep part.  By the time I got back up to the surface, Justin had already swum back over to the shore and found MY clothes to wear."

 

Sarah chortled in amused glee.  "So he left wearing YOUR clothes and left his instead?"

 

Brian looked a little uncomfortable as he admitted, "Well, he didn't know where HIS were, so I guess he had no choice."  Sarah nodded in understanding as he told her, "What could I do?  I didn't think Uncle Will would appreciate me walking back here buck naked."

 

Sarah burst out laughing at the imagined sight.  "No, he probably wouldn't have," she told him, grinning from ear to ear.  "But it sure would have been funny to see."  She glanced over at the balled-up clothes lying on the couch.  "Well, I think it would be courteous to return Justin's clothes to him, don't you think?  It wasn't HIS fault that you hid them from him.  I think he did the only thing he could under the circumstances."

 

Brian contemplated that; while it would serve the little shit right to not return his clothes after what he had pulled, it WOULD accomplish one thing:  it would give him an excuse to confront Jared about the lies he had been telling his younger brother, and perhaps help elevate him to a more favorable status in Justin's eyes afterward after he explained what really happened.  He didn't stop to consider why it was so important to him that he straighten things out with the younger Taylor brother; he just knew that it was.  "I guess you're right," he told her with a nod.  "In fact, I think I'll go return them now."

 

She frowned.  "It'll be dark soon, Brian. It can wait until tomorrow."

 

"No," he shook his head, trying desperately to scramble for a good reason why it had to be right away.  "I don't want him to run the risk of getting into trouble over not having his own clothes," he told her, thinking that sounded plausible.  "And it's just a few minutes' walk.  I can even take a flashlight with me just in case I start back after dark.  And besides, I didn't bring a lot of clothes with me - I really need to get my own back, too."  He was silently proud of the story he had just concocted - if it were him even HE would buy it.

 

She nodded, looking into his eyes and sensing just a hint of awkwardness there and perhaps something more; there was almost a touch of anticipation in his voice.  "Justin's a wonderful boy," she told him with a smile.  "Very thoughtful and considerate, always so soft-spoken, too.  And I think he's a very handsome young man; no...beautiful, both inside and out, I would say.  He has more of a classic look than the rugged features that Jared has.  Don't you think?"  She asked politely as she gazed into his face.  She had noticed the way that Brian had been staring at Justin over the Taylor's dinner table; he might have been trying to be subtle about it, and maybe he didn't even realize how much his expression was broadcasting his innermost feelings, but she had seen it just the same.  And his reaction just now to her question only confirmed her suspicion that there was more going on here than just a juvenile sort of practical joke at Justin's expense.

 

"Yeah, I guess," Brian grumbled, embarrassed, as he turned his face to look out through the front window.  "If you notice those kinds of things."

 

Sarah quirked one side of her mouth up, knowing she had to be right.  She couldn't quite grasp how one boy could be attracted to another boy - that was about as foreign a concept to her as flying without any wings - but her nephew wasn't fooling her, not for one second.  "Well, anyway, I suppose it would be okay to go over there now if you're careful.  That is, if your foot is doing better."

 

Brian nodded; he had scoffed silently at his aunt's homemade attempt to make his foot feel better, but he had to admit - the sting was practically gone now and the pain was minimal.  "Yeah, it's fine.  Just a little achiness, that's all."

 

Sarah nodded as she rose from her place at the couch.  "Well, why don't you go upstairs and change into some of your own clothes?  I'll go hunt up that medicine and a flashlight for you in case you need it."

 

Brian nodded as he stood up and reached for the ball of Justin's clothing.  As he turned to go, Sarah reached out to grasp his forearm.  She hesitated saying something, but she felt she must; she was really fond of Justin.

 

"Brian...Whatever happens between you and Justin..." Brian opened his mouth to protest that there wasn't anything going on to even be concerned about, but his aunt placed a couple of fingers lightly over his mouth to squelch it.  "Just hear me out," she entreated earnestly before she removed them.  "Whatever happens between the two of you...just don't hurt him.  He really is a sweet boy, but he's still very young.  That's all I'm going to say.  Okay?"

 

Brian finally nodded silently as he turned to go, his aunt's eyes practically boring into his back as he walked up the stairs toward his bedroom.  Sarah watched him go for a few seconds, deep in thought, before she headed back to the kitchen with her supplies.

 

* * *

_  
_

_Fifteen Minutes Earlier - Taylor Farmhouse_

_  
_

Justin collapsed face up on his twin-sized bed and groaned as he looked up at the ceiling.  What had possessed him to be so bold around Brian?  What had come over him?  He looked down at the oversized, long shirt and the jeans he was still wearing and he couldn't believe he had actually engaged in a battle of wills with the handsome, older boy.  What in the world was he thinking?  But he couldn't help it.  Despite his deep attraction to Brian, he had been sad as well as pissed; angry that just because Brian was sexy and gorgeous - and knew it - he thought he could just waltz in that water and expect him to bend over some rock outcropping and let him ram his cock into his ass like some faithful, little eager puppy dog, and sad that his idea of perhaps having a relationship with him had been promptly squelched.  Well, he might not be overly experienced when it came to sex and he might be deeply attracted to the guy, but he still had his pride.  He had meant what he had said - he wasn't going to be _anyone's_ consolation prize.

 

"More like a booby prize," he muttered to himself.  That's about how he felt at the moment - like a big, ignorant boob.

 

"Well, I got news for YOU, _Hot Stuff_.  I'm NOBODY'S easy lay," he vowed once more to himself, feeling a lot less confident than he sounded, though.  He huffed, insulted at the thought that Brian considered him such an easy and willing target.  Why couldn't he just find some sweet, thoughtful boy to have a relationship with?  Why did he have to fall for someone who was arrogant and egotistical?  Knowing how forceful a personality Brian was, he was actually surprised that someone like him would agree to bottom for his brother in the first place, although he knew Jared could be quite determined when it came to getting what he wanted.  Maybe Brian felt just out of place enough here on the farm to agree to something he might not normally do.  He sighed.  What did he really know about such things, anyway?

 

Thank God no one had been around when he had sneaked in through the front door; if he had had to explain to either Jared or his father, especially, what had happened, he would have died from extreme mortification, not to mention his father would have had yet another reason to be disappointed with him and he would have been subjected to all sorts of questions he didn't want to answer.

 

He had the distinct impression, also, that his father didn't want them to have anything to do with Brian.  He had only grudgingly agreed to let Jared show Brian the newest car he was restoring, no doubt because it was JARED who had asked him and Jared could usually do no wrong where their father was concerned.  Still, it was obvious that their father didn't find Brian the best influence and didn't trust his motives.   Well, he wouldn't have to worry about HIM where the other boy was concerned; HE had no intention of being Brian's plaything.  If he wanted to get his kicks, let him go into town and find someone else who was willing to be used like that, or let him and Jared take turns fucking each other's brains out.  He really didn't care anymore.

 

_Nice speech, Taylor_ , he could hear his subconscious chiding him as he folded his arms across his chest and continued to stare up the ceiling at nothing in particular.  He could hear banging sounds coming from outside his open window and knew it had to be his father and Jared still working on their newest project.  Sitting up finally, he decided it would be best to shuck out of the other boy's clothes and shove them into the clothing hamper before anyone noticed his odd state of dress.  Rising from the bed, he pulled out some of his own clothes from the top dresser drawer, and walking down the hallway he entered the bathroom door and closed it.  He unbuttoned the jeans and began to pull them down his legs when a sudden image appeared in his mind of the boy who normally wore them kneeling in front of him as he worshipped his cock, and that just made his entire body instantly heat up in reaction.

 

_Idiot!_ Stepping out of Brian's shoes and kicking the jeans off the rest of the way in disgust, he stood there and looked at himself in the mirror.  To his eyes, he looked like he was maybe 12 years old; no wonder Brian didn't really take him seriously!  Was he going to look like some fucking kid the rest of his life?  Sighing sadly, he began to unbutton Brian's shirt and pulled it off, holding it up to his nose to inhale the intoxicating scent of the boy who normally wore it - a unique mixture of sweat and after-shave, and perhaps a touch of cigarette smoke.  It was like instant endorphins had been released as a rush of desire flooded through him.  He closed his eyes and inhaled more deeply this time, savoring the thought of him - and Brian - together in the throes of passion as he reached down and began to slowly pump his cock, pretending Brian was doing it instead.  His dick became achingly hard merely at the thought of the other boy expertly jerking him off.  "Uhhh," was the unintelligible sound that sprang from his lips at the thought.  He began to stroke his cock faster and faster now, feeling the telltale tensing of his body signaling an imminent release.... _so close, God, yes..._

 

"Justin!  Are you up there?"  Jennifer furrowed her brow in worry; she hadn't seen her youngest son return from the lake and he had promised to be home within a couple of hours.  Out here, once the sun began to set darkness followed soon afterward, and despite the relative safety of their environment, she still couldn't help worrying about him.  She was hoping, therefore, that Justin had somehow come home when she was out by the honeybee hives or had entered through the front door as he occasionally did sometimes.

 

Justin groaned as he was jolted out of his erotic fantasy by the sound of his mother's voice.  He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, stilling his hand on his leaking cock as he answered back as best he could, "I'm in the bathroom, Mom!  I'm taking a shower!"  _And needing to jerk off...  
_

_  
_

He sighed in relief that he was at least spared having to come face-to-face with his mother at the moment.  "Okay then, Honey!  I saved you a sandwich from dinner if you want to come down and get it when you're done!"

 

Justin exhaled a deep breath as he reached to turn on the hot water.  "Thanks, I'll be out in a little while!" he called back as he pushed the vinyl curtain aside and tested the water temperature.  Finding it adequate, he threw Brian's shirt down on the floor to join his other clothes and stepped inside the bathtub to let the water cascade down his body.  Closing his eyes, he imagined Brian with him under the spray, his body glistening from the steady stream as he rocked back and forth, in and out, the taller man's body flush with his as he fucked him and held onto his waist with his large, long-fingered hands.  _God, it would feel so good!_ A few more strokes of his cock and soon he was coming all over the marble wall of the enclosure.  Sagging against the side of the bathroom wall a few seconds later, he sighed.  He could resist becoming Brian Kinney's plaything, but he knew deep down it still wouldn't prevent him from wanting him or being attracted to him.  He only hoped that the next time he met him, that fact wouldn't be written all over his face.


	8. Kiss in the Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian confronts Jared regarding his lies; later, he experiences a much more pleasant encounter with a different Taylor brother. Will Justin give in completely to his feelings?

 

 

Craig stood back from the car and nodded in satisfaction.  "Shouldn't be too hard to repaint this one," he said approvingly, impressed as always with his son's intuition when it came to determining which cars to work on.  His son seemed to have an innate ability to determine which vehicles were the best candidates for restoration.  Even though the finished product didn't always bring in the high profit margin that he would like, he still enjoyed working alongside his son to get them road ready. 

 

Jared nodded as he closed the driver's side door, his eyes lit up with enthusiasm.  He always got excited whenever they brought home a new vehicle to restore.  There was just something about starting out with a shell of some former, classic car and slowly watching as it transformed into a showpiece again.  "This one is going to be so sweet!" he remarked with a smile as he stepped back to stand next to his father's side.  "And did you see the low miles on this one?  That's the original odometer!" he exclaimed.  "I can't wait to get this one fixed up, Dad!"  They had found this latest car through the grapevine in town, having heard about it being stored, forlorn and neglected, inside Thatcher's old barn on the older man's property when they went into town to buy some feed for their animals.  A visit to the farm later that afternoon, along with a little, well-placed schmoozing over the price, and they had found themselves bringing home their next project.

 

"Yeah, this will be a good one, Jared," Craig told him as he put his arm congenially around his son's shoulders and smiled proudly.  A noise near the door made him look over to the opening as he noticed his old friend and their jack-of-all-trades, Vic, standing in the doorway.  "Hey, Vic," he greeted the other man with a polite nod of his head in acknowledgment.  "About ready to lock up for the night?"  Vic lived in an older but neatly kept mobile home situated in a corner of the farm; it was part of his payment for helping to keep the farm running and assisting in taking care of the horses. 

 

Wiping some dirt from the palms of his calloused hands on his jeans, he nodded.  "Yeah.  I'm getting ready to make my sweep around the buildings and then I'm heading home.  You want me to lock up here, too?"

 

"Dad, I'd like to work on the car a little longer," Jared interrupted them, sensing his father was about to pack it in. They had just gotten started with the inspection of the car to determine what needed to be worked on first; he didn't want to stop now.

 

Craig paused for a moment before nodding.  "I guess that'd be okay. "We'll take care of this one, Vic; you can go ahead and lock up all the others." 

 

Vic nodded back with a small wave of his hand.  "Well, I'll say good night, then.  Have a good evening." 

 

"You, too.  Good night, Vic."  Craig replied.  He never was very effusive, even around his old friend, but Vic was used to it; the man never HAD been on the demonstrative side, even when he was courting Jennifer a long time ago.  It was a wonder they had ever hooked up together in his opinion, but for some reason Craig's wife seemed to have been smitten with him from the beginning.  Now, he suspected she stayed with him more out of a sense of loyalty and family than anything else.  As he left, he could still hear his old friend and Jared talking and out of curiosity, he paused just outside the door to listen. 

 

"I'm heading back to the house," he heard Craig advise.  "Don't stay out here TOO late; I still need for you to cover for your brother's chores the rest of the week until after the next race."

 

Vic could actually hear Jared huff in irritation.  "When am I supposed to have time to work on this?" he whined.  "Why can't Vic take over for him?"

 

As he stood there silently nearby, it was all Vic could do not to roll his eyes and walk back into the storage barn to give the selfish, older boy a piece of his mind.  Did he think he sat on his ass all day long while he was playing with his latest toy?  And in his opinion, Justin was overworked and overstretched as it was.  The poor kid hardly had time to think, let alone do anything enjoyable, between finishing his daily chores and practicing for the next harness race, and despite that, he never complained about what was expected of him.  He seethed inside at the obvious disparity between Jared and Justin; when was Craig going to realize how unfair that was? 

 

To his relief, Craig for once held his ground.  "Jared, you know how much Justin needs to devote to the race coming up!  That's our main livelihood right now; we need the money his winnings bring in.  And Vic has his hands full with making sure all the fields are ready for the corn and soybean crops.  That's a full-time job right now, you know that."  There was a pause before Craig added in a more soothing tone, "You'll just have to limit how much time you can spend on the car for now, that's all.  It's just temporary until after the race, and then Justin can go back to doing his own chores again."

 

Vic shook his head; why was Craig always kowtowing down to this lazy, self-centered boy?  The shame of it, too, was that Jared was actually _talented_ at working on cars; if he would only devote as much attention to helping out on the farm as he did with restoring cars, perhaps he could eventually find a job that paid him to do what he loved.  What he seemed to fail to understand, however, was that Justin's skill and success at handling Headstrong was the main reason why he HAD time to goof off with all those cars in the first place, and the boy seemed exceedingly ungrateful about it.  Craig was right; if Justin wasn't doing so well, they would ALL be suffering right now.

 

As he turned to walk toward the stables to secure it, he idly wondered what was going to happen a year from this August when Justin went off to college in Nashville to pursue his own dream of combining his art with equestrian therapy.  Surely Craig wouldn't begrudge him that chance somehow?  And surely Jennifer wouldn't allow him to revoke it?  She might have been brought up in an environment where the wife supported her husband's decisions in the family, but even SHE wouldn't allow him to do that to Justin...Would she?  He pursed his lips tightly together.  _You better not screw up that boy's chance, Craig Taylor, or you will hear from ME._   Sighing and realizing there was nothing he could do about the situation except continue to encourage and support his young friend as much as possible, he began his rounds to lock up for the night.

 

* * *

 

Showered and changed into his own clothes at last, Justin felt a little more refreshed and a little less agitated than before as he walked downstairs to retrieve his sandwich.  It was almost 9:00 now with darkness fast approaching and his loudly growling stomach was informing him of how long it had been since he had last eaten. 

 

His mother was sitting in one of their flowery, overstuffed chairs in the living room as he arrived at the bottom of the steps, working on a crochet project for the local hospital.  She glanced up and smiled at her son.  "There you are.  I was getting worried before.  Did you have a good swim, Honey?"

 

He smiled back at her.  _If you only knew..._ "Yeah, it was fine.  You were right - the water temperature was just perfect."  Of course, the water seemed to be boiling once Brian had joined him in the lake, but he didn't dare tell HER that.  He figured he was going to have enough of a problem figuring out what to do with Brian's clothing, much less explaining how he happened to come into possession of them in the first place.  "I just came down to get my sandwich," he told her.

 

She nodded.  "It's on top of the stove, wrapped in plastic wrap.  And I saved you a piece of lemon meringue pie from dinner last night."

 

He grinned.  "You're the best, Mom," he told her sincerely as she smiled lovingly at him.  He turned to walk down the short hallway leading into the kitchen as the back screen door squeaked and then banged as it closed.  He met his father coming in just as he got near the stove.  "Hi, Dad."

 

Craig eyed his younger son studiously.  He knew Justin had missed dinner earlier to go swimming from what Jennifer had told him.  "Justin," he greeted him. "You went swimming down at the lake?"

 

Justin nodded as he turned to pick up the roast beef sandwich his mother had wrapped up for him and the piece of pie and dessert fork she had left on a small paper plate.  "Yeah...It was so hot today that Mom suggested I go cool off for a while."  He walked over and sat down at the kitchen table as Craig wandered over to the sink to fetch a glass in the top cupboard and pour himself some tap water.  "The water was just perfect, even though it's only June."  As always, Justin felt somewhat awkward engaging in simple conversation with his father.  Half the time he felt like he wasn't really listening to him at all and it always felt strained somehow. 

 

Craig nodded before he downed a gulp of his water.  Fortunately for Justin, he didn't press him any further on his previous activity or Justin feared his face would have turned a deep shade of red and instantly given him away that _something_ had happened other than him going for a leisurely swim.  "Where's your mom?"

 

Justin took a bite of his sandwich and swallowed before he told him, "She's in the living room, working on her blanket for the hospital."  His mother was part of an auxiliary women's group who crocheted baby blankets for newborn babies of mothers who were poor and could not afford one.  

 

Craig nodded as he polished off his glass of water and set the glass down in the porcelain sink.  "By the way, I told your brother he's supposed to do your chores the rest of the week until after the race is over."

 

Justin's eyes widened.  He really wasn't too surprised by that, though; he couldn't help thinking it wasn't because he was worried about him being overworked.  He knew it was more because right now he was the ironic breadwinner of the family; him and Headstrong, that is.  Just once he wished he could believe that his father was truly concerned about his welfare for a change rather than how he was helping to keep their farm afloat.  "Thanks," he finally replied half-heartedly, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice.  

 

"You'll need to really concentrate hard in the next few days before the race," Craig advised him as he stood over the sink and washed his hands, drying them on a nearby cotton towel.  "You need to work him hard, Justin.  He can be complacent if you let him."

 

Justin let out a breath and said, "Yes, Sir," but inside he was bristling.  Did his father not think he knew how to treat their best-winning horse by now?  It was a sure bet that both he and Vic knew a hell of a lot more about preparing Headstrong for his races than HE ever would.  Apart from purchasing the straw and feed for the horses, his father really had nothing to do with them most of the time.  "Is Jared still out working on his car?" he asked, trying hard to keep the hurt out of his voice. 

 

"Yeah, I told him he could stay out a little longer," was the predictable reply.   _Of course - Jared could pretty much do whatever he wanted_.  "You'd best get up to bed as soon as you're done eating, Son; tomorrow will be here before you know it."  Justin silently nodded as his father turned to go.

 

As Craig left the kitchen and headed toward the living room, Justin could hear him talking to his mother as he silently seethed inside. His eyes glistened as he thought, _just once, Dad, I wish you could have the same pride in your voice for me that you do for Jared._ Sighing sadly, he carried his plate over to the sink and rinsed it off before setting it next to his father's glass and throwing the plastic wrap in the garbage can nearby. 

 

* * *

Jared softly hummed to himself as the radio played one of his favorite songs; he smiled as he thought about how wicked the Chevy would look once he got done with it.  This car could quite possibly wind up being the sweetest-looking vehicle he had ever restored, and with the powerful engine it had in it, he was going to have a blast driving around in it.  Now all he needed was the right decoration, and he had just the right one in mind.  If only he hadn't had to do his brother's chores today, he could have been spending time much more pleasantly by now.  In fact, maybe he could just find a way to wander over to the Walker farm after a while and see if he could seek Brian out.  There was nothing like a few smokes on a joint and some beer to mellow anyone, and he couldn't wait to continue his pursuit of the other boy.  He knew if he just gave it time, he could wear Brian down.  No one eventually said no to him, no matter how hot he looked. 

 

The look on his brother's face when he had told him what had happened between them had been priceless.  Justin was just too gullible for his own good.  He loved his kid brother, but he also loved teasing him and leading him on.  He felt like he was actually doing him a favor; Justin was just way too trusting.  He needed to develop a tougher skin if he was ever going to survive in this world.  Eventually, he thought Justin would understand that and actually thank him for it. 

 

"Jared."

 

As if someone had been reading his mind, Jared's heart began to race at the deep, sultry sound of his name being uttered.  Had he just imagined it?  It had sounded so real, though.  As he stood up from the side of the car to look over toward the doorway, he realized he hadn't been dreaming it up as he saw the object of his fantasies standing there, larger than life.  Brian was wearing a black pair of slim-fitting jeans over black boots; a sleeveless, round-necked, black shirt complimented the outfit perfectly.  He had his arms crossed over his chest and feet crossed at the ankles as he rigidly stood there leaning against the door frame, his long, lean body silhouetted in the waning daylight like some mysterious and dangerous Greek god.

 

Jared smiled smugly over at his quarry as he felt the stirrings of desire bubbling up inside of him.  This boy made his body thrum with heady anticipation every time he saw him, especially now that he had had the pleasure of seeing ALL of him.  He knew the other boy wouldn't be able to resist him; he just didn't think their reunion would happen quite this fortuitously.  "Brian," he murmured sexily as he slowly swaggered over toward his prey.  "Well, if this isn't a very _pleasant_ surprise," he replied as his eyes raked appreciatively over him.  He pulled out the bag of weed he had stashed in his jeans pocket and held it up to him.  "Ready to get this party started in style?"  In the soft glow from the kerosene lamp nearby, he thought Brian looked particularly striking in his all-black ensemble; almost as good as he was soon going to look completely naked with his ass surrounding his cock.  "I knew you couldn't stay away from me," he told him as he flashed him a knowing, lazy sort of smile.  Brian remained oddly silent, however, and didn't move from his place in the doorway. 

 

Frowning slightly at the apparent indifferent treatment, Jared decided it was time to reinforce who was the more dominant of the two.  Out here, HE was king and always would be; he was glad Brian finally understood that.  Walking closer until he was within inches of the other boy, he glanced up into the face of his target; Brian's eyes were hooded and dark, indecipherable.  Undoubtedly, however, that was his way of masking his desire for him.  He noticed that his lips, which he knew from experience were highly talented and pliable, were pursed tightly together now into a thin line.  Well, he would just have to ‘pry' them open again with his tongue.  Leering confidently at him, he reached toward Brian's shirt with the intent of pulling it off the other boy completely when suddenly Brian reached for his wrist in a lightning-fast move and encircled it painfully with his long-fingered hand.

 

Brian's face darkened into repressed fury as he told Jared with deadly calm, "I know what you told Justin."

 

Jared frowned as he winced at the sharpness in his wrist.  "What the fuck are you talking about, Brian?"  He struggled against Brian's vise-like hold on his wrist as his mind whirled in confusion.  "You're hurting my arm - let me go." 

 

"I know you lied," Brian told him; the more he thought about it, the angrier he got and the more tightly he squeezed the other boy's wrist.  "I know you fucking LIED about what we did last night, Jared!"  His voice began to get louder as he seethed inside.  How DARE this guy concoct a story and brag about what he _didn't_ do?  About what he would NEVER do?

 

Jared was forced to retreat further into the barn as Brian placed his other hand, palm down, on his chest and began to shove him none too gently backwards toward his car as he continued to hold onto him.  "Since when did you see Justin?" he managed to counter desperately, his voice getting louder and his eyes widening at the look of fury on the other boy's face.  "Besides, you don't know Justin; you can't believe a word he says anyway." 

 

* * *

_Same Time - Justin's Bedroom Upstairs_

Justin was lying in bed on his back, wearing only a pair of boxers, the still-muggy night quickly plunging the area into darkness.  His parents had retired for bed about an hour ago as they normally did; out here on the farm, they rose quite early and went to bed early by most people's standards.  Justin wasn't sleeping, however, even though he knew he would need to get up before dawn to start preparing to work out with Headstrong for the upcoming race.  He had done a small, quick load of wash earlier that evening after he had eaten and had just retrieved Brian's clothes from the dryer a few minutes ago which were now folded neatly and lying on top of his desk nearby. He really did need rest desperately, especially after working with Headstrong all day out in the hot sun; but as he lay there looking up at the ceiling, his thoughts were too occupied by his and Brian's encounter earlier to allow his eyes to close and his body to drift off into any sort of slumber.

 

Not for the first time he questioned whether he had handled the situation properly; God knows he had wanted Brian badly - who wouldn't?  And Brian had been more than clear as to what exactly he had in mind for him, for _them_.  Why hadn't he just accepted it for what it was and not chosen to overanalyze it?  If nothing else, he had no doubt that this boy would be a magnificent lover.  What better person, then, to teach him the basics?  _It's because you're a scared little faggot_ , he chided himself.  _You weren't refusing him on principle; you were afraid of the unknown, of what he might do, of winding up looking ridiculous when you tried to imitate his moves and failed miserably._  

 

"No," he vowed out loud.  "No, I wasn't," he reassured himself.  Yes, he admitted it; he was afraid of what he didn't know.  But that didn't mean even if he had been more experienced that he still wouldn't have turned Brian down.  He was not going to be ‘second best' just because Brian didn't get what he wanted out of his brother.  Even HE had more pride than that.

 

His conscious mind slowly began to register the sound of agitated, loud voices filtering in through his open bedroom window overlooking the backyard as he frowned.  It sounded like it was coming from the storage barn nearby, and the one voice sounded like his brother's.  Was Jared still outside working on that damn car, even though their father had indicated he could only stay out for a ‘little longer?'  He glanced over at his illuminated horse clock with the face in its belly and noticed that was two HOURS ago.  He fumed; Jared apparently could do whatever the fuck he wanted to, though.  But if the one voice belonged to Jared, who did the _other_ voice belong to?  He had seen with his own eyes his mother and father going off to bed, so he knew it couldn't be his father, unless he had gotten up afterward.  He supposed that was possible; maybe their father was telling Jared that it was time to come in and he didn't like that.  That would be quite plausible; when Jared didn't get his way, he tended to become both angry and petulant, even childish in reaction.  But the more he listened further, the more he didn't really think the other person talking was his father.

 

Extremely curious now, he rose from his bed and walked over to the window, placing his elbows on the wooden windowsill and leaning down as he strained to listen to the conversation.  He couldn't hear all of it, just bits and pieces as the voices got increasingly louder, but there was no mistaking the angry tone in one of the voices. 

 

* * *

 

Jared gasped as Brian shoved him up against the side of his car.  Any other time he would have found this sort of ‘rough play' hot, but he knew by the look on Brian's face that it wasn't red with desire for him; more like hatred and contempt. 

 

"You told Justin that I bottomed for you, didn't you?"  The concept was so distasteful and repugnant to him that Brian had trouble even formulating the words; it was like some acrid taste had settled in his mouth.   "You lying asshole!  Did you really think you could say that and expect to get away with it?"  He reached to clench Jared's shirt in his right fist as he leaned in closer.  Jared could see the fury in Brian's darkened irises and a vein protruding in his neck as he spat out, "Answer me, damn it!" 

 

Jared held up his hands and tried to act nonchalant, which wasn't easy to do considering that Brian's face was inches away from his.  "Okay, okay," he finally relented as he held his hands up as if in surrender; he tried to project a sort of self-deprecating smile that said _I was only having fun with my kid brother_ , _what's the big deal?,_ butby the angry look on Brian's face, he could tell it wasn't going over very well.  "Maybe I did tell him that.   But it was just a joke, Brian!  Come on, what did you _expect_ me to tell him?  I have a reputation to uphold around here."

 

* * *

 

From his perch at the window, Justin's heart began to pound as the voices got louder and angrier, and he recognized the other combative voice as belonging to Brian.  What was going on?  He leaned out the window in an attempt to hear better just as the gentle, warm breeze stilled to a dead calm and the voices became even louder and more harsh.  At last he could clearly make out what his brother and Brian were saying and he instinctively held his breath, afraid to miss a single word.

 

* * *

 

Jared could feel Brian's hot breath on his face as he was told, "I don't give a _fuck_ about your reputation, you son of a bitch!  You had no fucking right to lie to him!"

 

Jared furrowed his brow, more curious now than frightened by Brian's fury.  "Big deal!  So I made up a story that I topped you!  What does it matter to you WHAT Justin thinks?  He's just a kid!  And how the hell did you find out, anyway?  That little shit told you, didn't he?"  That was the only explanation.

 

"That doesn't matter, Jared!" Brian snarled back at him.  This asshole didn't DESERVE to know anything.  "What matters is that you've been spreading lies about what happened last night and I want it to stop, do you hear me?"  Brian's face was contorted with rage; he had already been angry enough about the lie Jared had told, but the cavalier attitude he was displaying now that he had been called out on it was making him even angrier by the minute.  "I repeat, do...you...HEAR...me?" 

 

Upset that his untruth had been uncovered, dismayed at the condescending tone of voice Brian was using, and perturbed that Brian seemed to actually care WHAT his little brother thought, Jared used a rush of adrenalin as well as the element of surprise to push himself away from Brian and break free from him.  He walked far enough away to get out of Brian's reach for the moment while he tried to catch his breath and regain some sense of composure.  He wasn't used to being undermined or insulted.

 

"Yeah, Kinney, you don't bottom, I get it!"  Jared yelled back.  He shook his head in disgust as Brian stood facing him, his chest heaving with extreme agitation.  Putting on a brave front, Jared snorted as he glared over at his adversary, trying to sound more confident and calm than he actually felt as he retorted, "Although with _your_ scrawny ass, I can SEE why you wouldn't agree to bottom; who would want it?" 

 

Brian than actually laughed to Jared's surprise as he crossed his arms over his chest and smiled over at him, his back to the storage barn's open doorway now.  "That's a good one, asshole.  Trust me, there've been _plenty_ who have wanted it.  I just don't give it to them." 

 

* * *

 

Justin's gulped; My God, was it true?  Did Jared make the whole damn thing up just to sound important and look like he was the bigger man?  He had to smirk at that; as brothers he had seen Jared's cock from time to time, and while it was large enough to ‘get the job done' and then some, he had _nothing_ on Brian's majesty.

 

* * *

 

Jared huffed, desperate to remain in their battle but quickly losing ground; he began to grasp at whatever straws he could as he replied, "More like you'd have to pay them, Brian!  And by the way, you weren't that great at giving head, either; I just needed to get off after you wouldn't do what I told you to do."

 

Brian began to advance on his foe; it was one thing to lie about what had happened; it was quite another to out-and-out _insult_ him.  "You fucking piece of lying shit!" he snarled.  "You got the best damn blowjob of your fucking life last night and you damn well know it!"  Brian began to advance on Jared with the intention of shoving his fist in his face this time - he was angrier than he could ever recall being - but he realized if he did, it would definitely backfire on him.  Jared would promptly go running to tell his parents what had happened and would undoubtedly embellish the details, just like he had to Justin, and the only thing THAT would accomplish was having his aunt and uncle send him back to his parents.  His Uncle Will had already threatened him with such if he so much as slightly screwed up, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was actually getting _used_ to living here; while it was still the most archaic, primitive Hicksville of a place he had ever lived in, it sure as hell beat being in a jail cell 24/7, not to mention that after seeing Justin in the lake earlier, it could even get better.  First, though, he had to finish up this mess and make things right with him.

 

Jared huffed.  "That's _your_ opinion!" He began to slowly retreat as Brian continued to come closer until to his dismay and mortification his back bumped up against the thick, wooden wall planks of the barn.  "Go ahead, Big Man!  You want a fucking fight, Kinney, you _got_ it!"

 

"No," he told the other boy as Jared stood there, effectively trapped from going anywhere else. He waggled his finger at him furiously as he declared, "I'm not going to waste my time on you; you're not worth it, Jared!  I'm done with you!  But trust me, if I ever catch you lying about what happened, I don't care if it DOES land me in jail; I'll come in here and whip your ass so hard you won't be able to sit down for a fucking YEAR!  You got it?"  Jared stood there, fuming silently. 

 

Brian huffed in disgust over the other boy's lack of response.  "Are you fucking DEAF now as well as delusional?  I said...you got it?" 

 

His stance, legs apart and arms braced against the wall on either side of Jared's face, as well as the deadly tone of his voice and his flashing darkened eyes told Jared that Brian was not kidding and was not to be toyed with.  Something told him that Kinney had probably gotten into a _lot_ of scuffles in the big city and he didn't relish the idea of finding out that fact firsthand. 

 

"Yeah, Brian, I GOT it!" Jared shouted back, seething. 

 

Brian nodded, his mouth pressed into a tight line as he stood and glared at him in disgust.  "Smart boy," he told him sarcastically.  He glanced down just then to see the baggie of pot peeking out of his adversary's left jeans pocket and, before Jared knew what was happening, he had reached out and deftly snatched it away from him. 

 

"What the fuck do you think you're _doing_?" Jared growled at him as he unsuccessfully lunged for it.  "Give that back!"

 

Brian smirked.  "Now you farm boys know you shouldn't play around with recreational drugs.  Besides, this is one of the highest-yielding tobacco states in the country.  Go have yourself a smoke instead; you need to support the economy."  He reached into his shirt pocket and helpfully threw his almost-empty pack of cigarettes on the ground near Jared's feet.

 

Turning to go, he walked away a few steps before he turned around, his back silhouetted once more in the open doorway.  "Oh, and one more thing, Jared; unless you want to look like a total fool, I think I'd keep my big, fat, fucking mouth shut around Justin regarding what we discussed tonight.  Unless you WANT him to know what a big liar you are.  Wouldn't want to damage your reputation now, though, would we?"  Laughing, he finally turned and walked out, the baggie of pot swinging back and forth playfully in his hand like a grand prize at the local county fair.

 

"Fuck you, Brian!" Jared shouted back, fuming in defeat.

 

Brian promptly turned his head around to quip, "Only in your dreams, smart ass; only in your dreams."  He could hear what sounded like Jared throwing things around in the storage barn in a temper tantrum a few seconds later, and he couldn't help the triumphant grin that spread across his face.  He paused several feet away from the barn in the shadow of a large maple tree to savor his victory as he watched the light inside the barn be extinguished and Jared stomp over to the barn's thick, wooden doors a few moments later to slam them together and lock them with a padlock.   He could hear the other boy muttering under his breath in disgust as he acted like some petulant child that didn't get his favorite toy for Christmas and he couldn't help wondering what he had seen in the boy in the first place.  Slipping deeper into the shadows away from the moonlight quickly illuminating the darkness, he observed Jared trudge over dejectedly toward the rear of the farmhouse, his head hung low as he walked up the steps and, after a few seconds of fidgeting with the screen door, finally entered the house and slammed the door behind him none too quietly.  Apparently Jared was not only a bad liar, but he was also a sore loser. 

 

Brian grinned as he emerged from the shadows and held up the baggie of pot to examine it more closely under the moonlight.  Jared had been quite accommodating; not only had he gifted him with a nice stock of weed, but he had also supplied him with the wrappers, too.  At least tonight wasn't going to be a total washout, then... Just then he lifted his eyes slightly to look up at the back of the Taylor house and noticed for the first time a slim figure silhouetted in an open window upstairs.  His eyes widened in instant recognition as he realized who it was and his evening suddenly got a lot more interesting.  The figure ducked quickly out of sight as soon as he was detected, but it wasn't fast enough to prevent Brian from knowing it was Justin.  _Well, well, well_...he thought with a smirk.  _Spying on me, Blondie?_

He smiled in delight over his good fortune.  He needed to return Justin's clothes anyway, didn't he? He thought to himself, _No time like the present._   Striding over to pick up Justin's jeans as well as the balled up clump he had fashioned earlier and left near the barn, he approached the back of the house and slipped inside the picket fence though the gate.  Standing underneath the still-open window, he placed the clothing down at his feet as he stooped down to pick up some small pebbles scattered on the ground.  Using his skills honed as a high school baseball pitcher, he reared back and took aim at the open window, grinning in triumph when the first, small, round missile landed squarely in the middle of the top pane of glass and made a distinctive skittering noise as it dropped back onto the ground near his feet. 

 

Throwing one more stone at the same pane of glass for good measure, he cupped his hands over his mouth and in a loud whisper called out Justin's name, but there was no response.   Frowning in disappointment, he waited a few seconds before he called out again, this time a little louder.  "Justin!   I know you're up there!  Come to the window!" 

 

Justin closed his eyes in embarrassment as he pressed his body out of sight into the corner nearest the window; how could he have let himself get caught spying on Brian?  _Shit._ Thank God his brother's bedroom down the hall had a window facing out onto the side of the yard instead and he had heard Jared going into the bathroom and turning on the shower a few minutes ago, or no doubt he would have heard Brian calling up to him.  As angry as his brother had sounded, too, if he knew that Brian was doing that, he would probably never hear the end of it.  He wasn't sorry he had listened in on their argument, however, because it had provided him with the self-satisfying information that his brother had made up the entire thing about fucking Brian.  He didn't stop to think about why that suddenly made him feel so happy, however, because he had more crucial problems at the moment to consider as he heard Brian calling his name once more, this time a little louder.  If he didn't do something soon, not only would his brother hear once he got out of the shower, but his parents might, too, even though their bedroom faced out onto the front of the house instead.

 

Shit, what was he going to do?  He bit his lip in indecision, feeling decidedly like a stupid, careless little kid for being caught.  It was obvious Brian had seen him watching him and he could feel his face warming in embarrassment at the thought.  _Go away...Please...Go away_ , he prayed.  He waited with bated breath for another sound, but didn't hear anything except for the multitude of crickets and frogs he always heard around this time of night. 

 

He finally decided to risk a peek as he moved over to the window and leaned down to look into the backyard; his heart raced as he saw Brian staring up at him, framed in the moonlight.  The boy took his breath away; he couldn't deny it.  He was just so fucking gorgeous. But if Brian was thinking he could just take care of his ‘needs' with him instead of Jared, well, he had another thing coming.  _Strong...I must be strong_ , he told himself.  "Go away, Brian!" he finally called down urgently in a loud whisper.  "My parents will hear you!"  He did NOT want to explain why Brian was standing under his window late at night yelling up at him, especially to his father. 

 

He huffed indignantly as Brian merely smirked up at him in response and stayed where he was.  What part of ‘go away' did this guy not understand?  "What is WRONG with you?" Justin hissed down at him, his hands curled tightly over the marble window sill.  "I said GO AWAY!"  He made a shooing motion with his hand as if Brian were a large, sexy fly, but the fucker remained firmly in place as if he were enjoying his discomfort.

 

Brian grinned.   "I'll leave," he replied as Justin hopes rose; well, part of him was relieved while, if he were truthful, part of him was disappointed, too, that Brian hadn't put up more of a fight than that.  His heart skipped a beat, however, as Brian clarified, "I'll leave after you come down and talk to me."

 

Brian stared up at the younger Taylor brother framed in the window and to his amazement all sorts of lesbionic thought began to rise to the surface.   He couldn't prevent it, though; the moonlight was shining down on Justin's blond hair and the pale skin of his bare chest from up above, right at the perfect angle, and it made him seem to glow like some kind of angel.  _God, he is SO beautiful_ , came unbidden to his mind as he stared up at the indignant and righteous-looking face peering down at him.  He could tell that Justin was perturbed, but at the moment he didn't care.  He was not leaving until he made sure this boy knew what did - or didn't - happen last night. 

 

"Brian, it's late.  We can talk tomorrow," Justin tried frantically to reason with him.  The other boy's voice was getting louder and louder now.  "Just go away and come back then."   He berated himself, feeling suddenly like some weird version of the Wizard of Oz, before he turned and scurried back into the shadows as he returned to the obscurity of his bed.  Perhaps if he moved out of sight and stayed there immobile, not saying anything further and just ignoring him, Brian would finally get the hint and leave for now.

 

Brian watched, mouth agape in shock, as Justin promptly turned around and disappeared from view, yanking the gauzy, light brown curtains closed behind him in apparent dismissal.   Fortunately, however, Justin didn't close the actual window itself, probably opting instead to take advantage of the light breeze blowing to help combat the still, muggy, humid air.  Undoubtedly it must get rather hot upstairs in that old farmhouse, he mused, as he watched the curtains slowly undulating in the window.  _What a shame..._ He snickered.  His mouth broke out into a broad smile as another idea came to mind.  _If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, then the mountain will just have to come to Mohammed..._

Justin sat down on the side of the bed, listening intently for any more sounds from below.  Once more the crickets and frogs dominated the night; other than an occasional moo from someone's cow off in the distance, he couldn't hear anything else.  Had Brian finally taken the hint and gone back to his aunt and uncle's at last?  Sighing in relief at the relative silence, he pulled back the covers and lay down, his thoughts awhirl with so many emotions:  excitement, nervousness, anxiety, happiness even over the fact that his brother had lied about what had happened between him and Brian, but also, if he were honest with himself, disappointment that Brian had given up so easily.  He let out a deep breath between his lips as his head hit the pillow and he closed his eyes, knowing that did not mean sleep would be forthcoming; in fact, he had a good idea that sleep would be a rare commodity the rest of the night.

 

His heartbeat had just gotten back to a more respectable cadence when all of a sudden he heard a thump in the room and his eyes flew open.  What was that? he wondered as he looked around the room, half expecting to see Brian somehow magically appearing beside him.  But he was alone, and there was no further sound.  He frowned.  What had happened?  Had he been half asleep and just imagined that noise?   He held his breath to make sure, hearing nothing but the same old sounds he normally heard.  Deciding he must have just imagined it, he began to close his eyes again just before he heard a second thump and was smacked on the side of the leg by something hard. 

 

"Wha...?"  He instantly sat up in bed, looking through the dimness at an object lying near his feet.  His mouth hung open as he recognized what it was:  it was one of his sneakers that he had been wearing at the lake when Brian had stolen all his clothes.  He huffed in irritated comprehension, looking around until he located his other shoe near the door where it had landed after Brian had thrown it; that would explain the other thump he had heard.  He quickly rose from the bed and rushed over to the window to fling the curtains aside, expecting to see Brian down below, but to his great surprise - and disenchantment - there was no sign of him.  He squinted his eyes, noticing what appeared to be a large clump of some kind lying on the ground near the back gate and he shook his head in confusion.  What in the hell was that?  Could this night get any weirder?

 

Biting his lip momentarily in indecision, he finally hurried to shrug into a pair of loose-fitting pajama bottoms that he dragged out of his top dresser drawer before quietly opening the door of his bedroom, making sure that Jared was still in the bathroom taking his shower.  Relieved to still hear the water running, he closed his door just to be on the safe side from prying eyes before quietly tiptoeing barefoot down the short, wooden hallway toward the stairs. 

 

A couple minutes later, he arrived at the kitchen and crept over to the back exterior door, his heart pounding as he turned the glass knob to open it.  Wincing when the outside screen door squeaked when he pushed it open a few seconds later, he walked out onto the back porch and peered over at the indecipherable wad still lying near the back gate, motionless and silent.  Walking down the steps, he slowly began to realize as he got closer that the formless ‘lump' he had noticed from his upstairs bedroom was the rest of his clothing that Brian had hijacked last night.  Muttering to himself about the other boy's lack of courtesy, he picked up the clothing and, with one last glance around the yard to make sure Brian really had left, he began to return to the porch.  He had just climbed the steps and arrived near the back door to open it when a voice suddenly sounded out of the darkness from several feet away and made him jump a couple of feet off the ground in reaction.

 

"I see you found your clothes," the amused but confident voice rumbled from his right.  "By the way, your shoes were the wrong size."

 

Despite his aggravation over the other boy's cockiness, Justin thought his heart would explode with excitement at the unexpected, sultry sound of Brian's voice.  There was something almost dangerous about this other boy that sent a thrill running through him.  He tried hard to calm himself before he whirled around to retort, "Fuck, Brian!  You just scared the shit out of me!"

 

Brian smirked from his place at the side of the porch, his feet lightly scraping the weathered, slightly scuffed, white, wooden floor as he swung back and forth in the porch swing.  "You mean _again_?" he teased.   There was something amazing, almost magical, about throwing this boy off balance.

 

Justin had to bite back a smile in response to that statement, despite the wild thumping in his chest and the annoyance he felt.  "You do seem to have a talent for that," he admitted grudgingly as Brian slowly continued to push himself back and forth in the swing with his feet as he studied him silently, the motion emitting a soft, squeaking sound from the slightly rusty chains holding it up.  Justin couldn't help noticing that Brian had his legs spread farther apart than necessary on the floor while he moved back and forth.  For once he was glad his face was masked in the shadows of the porch, because it hid what he knew had to be a red tint to his cheeks as he lifted his gaze to see Brian's eyes shining back at him knowingly.   He knew he wasn't fooling this boy for a second; there was no hiding his desire for him.  He couldn't help it; Brian was just so incredible looking.

 

"Come over here," His fantasy softly urged him as he scooted over to the far left side of the swing in invitation. 

 

Justin clutched his clothes to his chest as a sort of protective armor as he replied stiffly, "I can see you just fine from over here.  I thought I told you to go home."

 

"I don't listen well to authorities; I thought you already knew that."

 

Justin snorted.  "I'm not an ‘authority,' Brian."  He licked his lips nervously, feeling inordinately uncomfortable even from several feet away.  He figured as long as Brian was in the same _county_ it would be too close for HIS own good.   He sighed.  "I have to get some sleep so I'll be ready to work out with Headstrong tomorrow."

 

Brian eyed him intently, drinking in the other boy's proximity as he teased, "Headstrong?  Is that your boyfriend's name, Hot Stuff?"  Even though he was kidding, he found the idea of Justin having a boyfriend unexpectedly disturbing and not preposterous at all; he silently decided that any guy who didn't show any interest in this boy had to be out of his fucking mind.

 

Justin knew Brian was making fun of him, but he couldn't help flushing at the _hot stuff_ moniker anyway as he snorted in response.  "No, you asshole!" he scolded him softly, taking care not to raise his voice so he wouldn't be overheard.  He wished now that he had thought to close his bedroom window upstairs, but at least he had closed the door to his room; hopefully that would prevent anyone from noticing that he was gone or overhearing them.  "He's our horse, you idiot."

 

Brian nodded with a grin.  "Oh," he replied, his tongue lodged in his cheek.  "I would think if anyone would be called headstrong, it would have to be you."

 

Justin rolled his eyes in annoyance as he deflected the conversation back to the matter at hand.  "Brian, I told you to leave earlier.  Why are you still here?  As I explained, I have to get some sleep tonight or I'll be worth shit tomorrow when I need to be alert."  For a horse, Headstrong was quite perceptive; it was as if he could sense when Justin was off his game, and if he thought for one moment that Justin wasn't putting his entire attention into their workout then he wouldn't, either.  He had seen it happen before, and neither one of them couldn't afford not to be at a hundred percent tomorrow; it was too close to race time now. 

 

"And I explained that earlier, too," Brian answered him simply.  "I needed to talk to you."

 

Justin stood with his legs planted apart in defiance as he answered curtly, "So go ahead and talk so I can get some sleep; I'm not stopping you."

 

Brian sighed in disappointment; this wasn't what he had in mind.  Apparently he would have to try another tactic.   "Okay," he said, his voice getting louder, "But I'll have to speak up if you're going to stay way over there."

 

Justin's eyes became big as saucers at the loud volume of Brian's voice; his adrenaline shot up in fear as he answered in a stage whisper, "Will you keep it the fuck down?  I don't want my parents or Jared to hear us."

 

"Afraid they'll hear something titillating?" Brian asked in the same loud voice as Justin appeared worried.  His plan was working just as he hoped; it wouldn't be long now at all.  "Then come over here," he insisted a little softer this time, noticing Justin staring at him warily.

 

But Justin knew he had no choice; he knew Brian was up to something, but it was as if he couldn't stop it.  "Fucker," he muttered as began to walk closer toward the swing.

 

Brian smirked.  "A pitchfork might be more effective," he advised him.

 

Justin frowned as he drew up short.  "What are you talking about?"

 

Brian nodded his head in reference to the wad of clothing Justin was still carrying like a security blanket.  "You can drop your weapon; I'm unarmed."  He raised his hands in supplication as if he were surrendering as he smiled back at him in amusement. 

 

Justin gave him a dubious look as he stood there frozen to the spot, deciding there were various interpretations of the word ‘armed.'  Just by virtue of Brian looking the way he did, and the husky sound of his voice, he decided that Brian was far from helpless or harmless.   Nevertheless, like some moth drawn to the light he dropped the clothing onto the floor with a soft plop and hesitantly advanced toward the other boy with no other protection now than his dignity and his pride.

 

Brian flashed him a lazy smile, feeling triumphant that he had succeeded at least in getting Justin to come out onto the porch with him.  "Sit down," he urged him softly as he patted the seat beside him.  "I won't bite; unless you want me to."  He noticed Justin's eyes widening as they gleamed in the moonlight, finding himself entranced by how shiny they looked.  _Why did the damn swing have to be so wide_ , he couldn't help thinking as he watched Justin gingerly sit down on the opposite side of the swing, as far away from him as possible.  He was so damned skittish around him, like some fragile butterfly.  It was a far cry from the more impertinent boy he had met down at the lake.  He figured he couldn't really blame him, though, after how aggressive he had been toward him earlier.  Well, his reluctance could be remedied pretty readily. 

 

As soon as Justin sat down, he promptly scooted over to the other side of the swing until their thighs were touching; he tried hard to focus on his companion's face that currently had a deer-in-the-headlights sort of look, but it was hard not to concentrate instead on the fact that Justin had on a relatively thin pair of pajama bottoms that did nothing to hide the other boy's desire for him - _very HARD_ , indeed, because he was feeling much the same.   The fact that Justin wasn't wearing any shirt, either, wasn't helping him to calm his racing pulse or his rapidly-beating heart.  In fact, it was having just the opposite effect.  He couldn't stand it all of a sudden - he had to touch some of that smooth-looking, vibrant skin before he went out of his mind. 

 

Justin eyes grew large as he watched Brian smile and slide his arm around his shoulders to pull him even impossibly closer.  At the first touch of his hand on his skin, he felt like he was on fire.  Brian's fingers were so warm, almost like they were searing into him, and his leg touching his made him swallow hard as he attempted to not notice how his proximity made him feel.  He bit his lip and turned his head away, taking comfort in the light breeze blowing on his face as he tried to calm his skittering heartbeat.  His lungs began to inhale and exhale rapidly, an involuntary response to what Brian's presence was doing to him.  Was it always like this with someone you were this drawn to?  It was hard to say, because he had never been as attracted to someone as he was to this boy, so he had nothing to compare it with.  He couldn't imagine feeling any more alive than he did at that moment, though, and it scared him to death while at the same time excited him to heights he didn't even know were imaginable. 

 

"Brian," he whispered the other boy's name as he turned to find his face inches from the other boy's.  "What... What are you _doing?_ " he asked as Brian's face grew closer and closer.  He knew what was about to happen, and his eyes widened as they stared into the hazel ones boring into his.  Just before Brian could kiss him, though, he managed somehow to press his palm against the flat, hard chest and put enough distance between them to sputter out, "I... I thought you said you needed to talk to me." 

 

Brian whispered, "I do my best talking when my lips aren't _speaking_." 

 

Justin flushed at the insinuation, knowing full well what Brian was referring to.  How did he get himself into this situation?  And more importantly, how does he extricate himself from it?  Perhaps the question actually was, did he want to?  Before he could figure that out, his eyes glanced downward, just in time for his other hand to capture Brian's wrist before he reached a certain prominent, hard target.  "Brian," he breathed out, his lungs craving air.  He could feel his cock becoming unbearably hard at the mere thought of those long-fingered hands giving it a squeeze, but he knew once they did there would be no going back.  He held onto the other boy's wrist for dear life as he leaned back in the swing as far as he could.  "Brian, you said we would _talk_... As in speaking." 

 

Brian sighed in temporary defeat; why was that so important to this boy?  All he wanted to do right now was kiss those impertinent lips senseless and fuck the boy into oblivion.  He had been feeling horny ever since he had first seen Justin in that window, and now to see him up close and oh-so-personal made it even more imperative.  Apparently, though, that wasn't going to happen until they ‘talked' things out the old-fashioned way.

 

To Justin's relief, Brian finally stopped advancing as he sat up straighter in the swing and peered over at his companion to say, "Okay, Justin.  What do you want to know?"  Justin loosened his hold on Brian's wrist, just enough for Brian to take advantage of it and promptly grasp his hand in his.  He didn't normally resort to such trivial, cutesy sorts of PDAs, but for some reason it felt right with him and hopefully helped to reassure him that he really was interested in what Justin had to say.  He cocked his left eyebrow expectantly as he stared into the deep blue eyes.

 

Justin inhaled a deep breath and let it out, still not feeling particularly safe with Brian pressed up against him, but at least feeling just a bit more at ease since Brian had halted his unflagging pursuit of him.  He nodded.  "I... I couldn't help overhearing you - you and Jared - in the barn earlier.  You were angry at him."

 

 Brian responded wryly, "You could say that.  Actually, I was tempted to rip his balls off," he added as Justin stared at him in shock.  "But I didn't want to give him a cheap thrill, so I didn't."  He gazed into the expressive blue eyes before asking, "Just how much did you hear?"  It was important to him that Justin knew all of it, and something told him that it was important to Justin, too.   Justin was about as different from his brother as oil and water. 

 

Justin bit his lip as he turned his head to stare out over at the storage barn.  "I... I heard the two of you talking about what happened last night." 

 

Brian squeezed his hand, noticing how warm it was.  The hand was surprisingly strong, though, and slightly calloused, no doubt due in large part to how hard Justin seemed to be working most of the time.  "You mean about what _didn't_ happen last night, don't you?" 

 

Justin turned his head around to stare at Brian.  The other boy had backed off a little bit, but he could still feel his leg brushed up against his and his fingers slowly stroking his palm and it was making him crazy inside.  No one had ever made him feel like this before, and it was both highly arousing as well as terribly disconcerting to him.  This wasn't like racing Headstrong; there was no game plan here he could follow to make sure he didn't make a fool out of himself.  "Yeah," he whispered in admission.  "I mean, I heard the two of you talking about...You know..."  He could feel the heat blooming on his face at the mere thought of what he thought he had heard.

 

"You mean about Jared fucking me?" Brian finished bluntly as Justin nodded.

 

He smirked.  "Yeah, he fucked me all right," he said as Justin's face fell in dismay; had he been wrong after all?  "In his dreams, that is," Brian clarified to Justin's joy, "and by the way, he doesn't give head very well, either."  He quirked one side of his lips up to gaze over at Justin, noticing what appeared to be a soft smile breaking out on his face.

 

"Really?"  Justin whispered.  He had hoped that was what he had overheard, but until now he hadn't wanted to assume anything.  To his relief, however, apparently he had heard right.  "He didn't?" 

 

Brian smiled at the tone of Justin's voice and how his face suddenly transformed from one of sadness and anger to one of happiness, even though he suspected he was trying to hide that fact from him.  He continued to stroke Justin's hand as he replied firmly, "No, he must certainly did not.  I don't bottom for anyone - especially such a smug asshole as your brother." 

 

Justin chuckled, a sound that Brian found enchanting.  It was the first time he had really seen Justin break out into such a bright smile and hear him laugh, and he found that he rather liked it - a _lot._ "Too much like yourself?" Justin asked unexpectedly.

 

Brian eyed him with new appreciation; that question didn't sound innocent at all.  "Are you calling me a smug asshole, Mr. Taylor?" he asked.    

 

Justin's face broke out into an even wider smile then just as the full moon came out from behind the porch roof, and Brian couldn't help thinking that it had just met its match in the brilliance department.  His breath caught in his throat as he was able to see Justin more clearly now, and he couldn't help returning his smile.  "Well?" he asked, one eyebrow arched in question as he edged in a little closer.  This boy was amazing.

 

"What do YOU think?" Justin quipped impishly; his smile, however, began to fade as he watched Brian's face looming ever closer to his.  He licked his lips nervously as his eyes flickered down to Brian's mouth, feeling suddenly like he was getting in way over his head.  What was he doing out here with him?  They both knew where this was heading if they stayed out here much longer.  "Brian," he whispered.  "I..."

 

"Shh," Brian entreated softly as he brought their clasped hands up to place their hands up to his mouth and kiss Justin's knuckles, feeling the smaller hand trembling in his as he did. Normally he would promptly dispense with any hint of courtesy or pleasantries with a boy he was interested in fucking - and God knows he wanted that badly at the moment - but something made him hold back and take things more slowly with him.  Was it his relatively young age or something else about this boy? He didn't know; he just knew it was somehow important that he did.  That didn't mean every fiber of his body wasn't crying out to have him, though; ALL of him. 

 

"I'm going to kiss you; you're not getting away from me this time," he vowed as he broke his handhold with Justin and curled his hand firmly around his companion's neck to pull him closer.  Justin's eyes grew round and darkened as he stared wordlessly into his eyes, mutely accepting what he knew was destined to be.  Both boys' eyes fluttered closed as their lips tentatively met; an initial, soft, exploratory type of encounter at first. 

 

Justin groaned softly at the first taste of Brian's lips; so soft, so warm, and so confident as he felt him increasing the pressure slightly.  Partly for balance but also just because he wanted to, he HAD to, he took his free hand and wound it around the other boy's back to hold on for dear life, feeling the chiseled hardness under his touch.  A few seconds of increased pressure on his lips and somehow he instinctively knew what Brian wanted as his mouth opened ever so slightly to allow the other boy's tongue to slide inside, and he found himself about to drown in the sensations he was feeling.  He felt Brian's lips continually moving, gliding over his as his tongue swabbed the inside of his mouth hungrily, seemingly washing over every centimeter as Brian angled his lips to seal them tightly over his. 

 

Brian was almost lying on top of him now in the swing, so close to his own chest that he could feel twin hearts beating almost impossibly fast; their hands, which had been trapped between, broke apart almost of one accord as they used that opportunity pull each other closer, Brian's hand slowly sliding around Justin's bare back as Justin's wrapped itself around his neck and played with the soft hair there.  Their groins brushed together and both boys moaned audibly at the delicious contact; Justin couldn't help feeling heady over the knowledge of how hard both of their cocks were against their bellies, and he felt inordinately powerful that he could make someone like Brian desire him so badly. 

 

As their kiss continued for what seemed like an eternity, Justin could feel the swing's chain biting into his back as Brian pressed him backward, but he didn't care; the emotions flooding through him for this boy more than made up for any discomfort.  He couldn't help thinking how if Brian could make him feel this incredible merely by kissing him and pressing up against him, how it would feel to actually have sex with him.  That notion both thrilled as well as frightened him in its intensity.  He had no doubt that Brian was hoping they would find out shortly just how well they fit together, but was he ready yet for that big step?  As much as he wanted it himself, as much as he craved it, tendrils of doubt - doubts about his own ability to satisfy this experienced and incredibly sexy boy - and also hesitation about moving too fast bubbled up to the surface.  After all, hadn't Brian just tried to do this very same thing with his own brother last night?  How could he be sure, then, that Brian wasn't merely trying to accomplish something he couldn't get done last night and wasn't just using him as a convenient backup plan to satisfy his own needs?  Was it possible he just needed ‘his itch scratched' and it didn't matter _who_ the recipient was?

 

With great reluctance, then, as well as a great deal of self-discipline he wasn't even sure he possessed, he somehow managed to wedge his hand in between their bodies and exert enough strength with his palm on Brian's chest to push them apart, their lips separating with a resounding pop that sounded even louder in the relative stillness of the night. 

 

Brian pulled back far enough so he could look into Justin's desire-clouded eyes, his own searching the other boy's face for an answer as to why he had pushed him away.  His breathing was incredibly ragged from their kiss, coming out in soft pants as he frowned into the flushed face of his companion's.  "Wh... What is it?" he asked, his chest moving up and down rapidly.  He tried to deflect the disappointment as well as frustration over being stymied as he added, "Why did you pull away from me?  We can go somewhere else more comfortable," he suggested, thinking that Justin was merely wanting to take their action away from the house for fear of detection.  He wanted nothing more at that moment than to continue where they had left off; they had really just begun, and already he was hard as a rock and leaking profusely from their efforts, so he didn't care WHERE they went as long as he could accomplish that much-desired goal. 

 

For one brief moment, he decided that this boy might just prove to be the exception when it came to his self-control; he had never come in his pants before, but this beautiful blond might just prove to be his undoing if they didn't promptly pick up where they had just left off.  "Justin?" he asked as he took his hand from around his companion's neck and used it to lift his chin and make him look into his eyes.  He continued to breathe rapidly in and out through slightly-parted lips as he stared into blue eyes that were shining like 100-watt bulbs under the moonlight.  "What do you want, Justin?  Tell me."  He couldn't believe he was even asking that question; any other time, he would be demanding what he wanted or he would just go after what - or who - he wanted.  Why was it so different with this boy, then?

 

To his dismay, Justin bit his lip momentarily before he said, "I... I can't do this, Brian.  Please... Let me go."  He grasped Brian's biceps in a silent plea to escape, but Brian didn't show any signs of wanting to move.  "Brian, please..."

 

Brian shook his head in stunned incredulity.  "Why?  I know you want me, Justin."  There was no hint of arrogance or conceit in that statement; it was simply the truth.  He could feel Justin struggling slightly beneath him and it filled him with vast disappointment.  He leaned down to try and kiss him again, desperately wanting to taste those lips once more and with that gesture somehow show this boy how much he wanted him and how much that yes, he _cared_ for him.  But to his profound surprise and displeasure, Justin turned his head.  His attempt to not jump to conclusions failed him as he huffed out in frustration, "What is the problem with you?  One minute you're letting me tongue fuck you and the next you're turning me down?  What is _wrong_ with you?"

 

The hurt and anger that bloomed inside him at Brian's tone of voice provided Justin with the necessary adrenalin to forcefully push Brian off him; surprised by Justin's strength, Brian managed to reach for the opposite arm of the swing as he sat vicariously upright on the other side as Justin rose shakily to his feet.  Pulling his sweatpants back up slightly and knowing that his actions did nothing to hide his desire for the other boy, he retrieved what little dignity he had left and stiffly told him, "There is _nothing ‘_ wrong' with me, Brian.  I'm just fine.  I told you; I have to get some sleep so I'm rested for tomorrow.  That's all there is to it."  He hurriedly walked over and scooped up the ball of clothing that had been hastily dropped near the back door as he told him, "Thanks for returning my clothes."

 

Brian looked at him in shock.  What the hell had happened here?  The last thing he was worried about was returning Justin's clothes.  That had been merely a convenient device to return - and to see him again.  Now he was being rejected?  For what?  So Justin could get some beauty sleep?  He voiced his thoughts aloud as he retorted, "That's bullshit, Justin!  You are not leaving because you need _sleep_.  You're leaving because you're fucking scared."

 

Justin huffed as he once more held the clothes up against his chest and stared over at the other boy.  He knew Brian was absolutely right; he WAS scared - scared of the feelings this dangerous boy engendered in him.  He wasn't about to tell him, that, though; it was embarrassing enough.  "I am NOT scared, Brian!  I told you why I have to go; you can believe me or not."

 

Brian was not to be deterred, however.  "No, Justin!" he argued.  "Tell me the REAL reason why you just did what you did!  Or are you really that fucked up?" 

 

Justin fumed.  How did this go from such an incredibly erotic experience to another argument with this boy?  Throwing caution and common sense to the wind and not concerned at the moment whether he would be heard or not, he retorted somewhat loudly, "Okay, I'll tell you why!  We're not going any further with this - _whatever it is_ \- until I'm convinced that you're not using me as a convenience!"

 

Brian frowned as he glared over at him.  "A convenience? What the hell are you talking about, Justin?" 

 

Justin shook his head; was Brian that dense?  "I am not going to be your little backup boy when things don't go the way that you wanted with Jared."

 

Brian stood up as Justin backed slightly toward the door, feeling like he might need to make a hasty escape; he couldn't trust himself around Brian.  One more kiss like the one they had just shared, and he knew his righteous convictions would promptly disappear.  "I thought I had just gotten through explaining what happened - and _didn't_ happen - with Jared."

 

"Yes, you did," Justin replied in agreement.  "But I'm not LIKE Jared, Brian.  I can't just have sex with a boy just because it would feel amaz...good," he corrected quickly, not wanted Brian to know just how incredible his kiss had felt and had easily he could be manipulated, even now, despite his pride.  "I need more than that."

 

Brian brushed his hand through his head in agitation, emitting a laugh at what he considered the absurdity of that statement.  "What?  You want romance, Hot Stuff?  Saltwater Taffy?  A new saddle?"  He snorted.  "Well, I don't do those types of things.  I don't NEED to.  So don't go expecting me to turn into some kind of lesbian boyfriend or something; it ain't gonna happen."

 

Justin swallowed the lump in his throat at the sarcastic tone of Brian's voice. He nodded.  "That's not what I was saying," he gritted out, his heart aching but his voice surprisingly clear and strong.  He shook his head, wondering why he was even bothering.  Brian was obviously merely looking for someone to satisfy his needs just as he suspected; he didn't really care who it was.  "Never mind," he told him, his voice hard.  "You obviously don't understand."  He reached to open the screen door, wincing again as the door squeaked on its hinges.  It had done that for months now; he silently vowed to grease the damn door so the next time it wouldn't make so much noise. Of course, there probably wouldn't BE a ‘next time;' at least not in the middle of a moonlit night, anyway, and certainly not with _this_ boy. 

 

"No, I don't," Brian countered, his voice clipped with anger.  "Just go, then; go back up to your widdle bedroom and let your horses keep you company instead.  Just don't expect me to be waiting around when you DO decide you want to fuck, because I won't be waiting around for YOU.  I'm sure there are other guys around even this small burg of a town that will be more than happy to accommodate me."

 

Justin sighed sadly as he opened the door wider and turned to face the other boy.  "Yeah, you're probably right," he admitted.  "Good night, Brian," he whispered before he reached for the other doorknob and quickly slipped inside before his resolve totally shattered.  He managed to just close the other door behind him before he leaned against it and felt the first smattering of tears in his eyes.  Closing his eyes and half-praying that Brian would actually decide to stay and fight, he heard nothing instead but the steady ticking of their rooster clock and the thumping of his weary heart.  Finally wiping a few tears away from his cheeks, he slowly trudged through the kitchen and through the hallway to the stairs.  A few minutes later, he entered the bedroom thankfully unobserved.  Almost against his will, he found himself walking over to the still-open window, slowly parting the curtains to peer outside just in time to see Brian slowly walking away in the moonlight, the glow of a cigarette marking a trail beside him.

 


	9. I Can Replace You - Can't I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin and Brian indulge in some daydreaming about their kiss on the porch; Jennifer gets fed up with Craig's partiality regarding their two sons.

Brian sat on his aunt and uncle's back porch steps, his long legs crossed at the ankles as he took a long drag from the weed he was smoking; apparently the back hills of Kentucky were good, fertile ground for growing pot as well as tobacco, because considering how much out in the hicks he was, the stash he had appropriated from Jared earlier had turned out to be surprisingly good stuff.  His entire body was definitely feeling more relaxed than before; so much so, in fact, he could almost forget what had happened earlier.  But despite his best efforts, he found his thoughts straying, not back to the contentious encounter he had had with Jared, but rather to a frustrating but electrifying episode he had shared with Jared's younger brother on the Taylors' back porch swing a few hours ago.

 

What was it about this boy that captivated him so?  He was much too young for him, much too inexperienced to ever be his equal... Wasn't he?  Oh, Justin hadn't come right out and told him as much - not about the inexperienced part, anyway - but it was written all over his face whenever he felt like he was getting too close to him.  He knew that was the reason why he had pulled back, not because of some Victorian-type, romantic, bullshit principles.  Wasn't it?  But still, there was no denying that the boy could kiss!  He could kiss so well, in fact, that those wondrous, dusty pink lips should be outlawed.  It was as if their lips were meant to be melded together, as if their bodies had been made to be formed together into one glorious work of art.  It was almost magical in a way, almost life-altering even.

 

But as much as he might crave another taste, he was Brian Kinney; he didn't go around begging someone to be with him.  If Justin felt that riding his horses was more important than riding _him_ , well, then, so be it.  There had to be other boys around besides a timid little field mouse and a cocky, arrogant bull that could adequately fulfill his needs.  Something told him, though, that none of them would be quite as satisfying as a certain beautiful blond who was uppermost in his thoughts at the moment.  Sighing softly in pent-up frustration, the buzz from the weed wearing off as reality began to sink back in, he threw what remained of the homemade marijuana cigarette down on the dirt ground by his feet and, standing there for a few moments to cast his eyes over at the now-darkened Taylor farmhouse, he turned and quietly trudged up the steps to the backdoor and entered the residence, knowing his uncle would have him up once more at the crack of dawn for yet another round of unpleasant chores.

 

* * *

_Same Time - Taylor Farmhouse_

Justin lay on his back in bed, his much-needed sleep proving to be an elusive commodity.  No matter how hard he closed his eyes and tried to will himself to sleep, it simply served to conjure up images of the boy who had kissed him to within an inch of his life earlier on their porch swing.  He found that it was actually better for him to keep his eyes open; it didn't remove the pictures of Brian from his mind, but at least he found that he could lessen their intensity by concentrating instead on the glow-in-the-dark stars and moons plastered onto the ceiling of his room, or turning his head to observe five more minutes had gone by from his horse clock, minutes ticking off relentlessly that he should be using for sleeping instead of erotic daydreaming.

 

He touched two fingers of his right hand to his lips, almost able to still feel the way that Brian's kiss had made his mouth tingle, how his tongue had swept into his mouth like some sensual wave, how Brian's arms had felt around his back, almost like they were tendrils of fire scorching his skin where they caressed him.  Just thinking about this other boy made him groan out loud at the way his body was reacting even now.  Brian wasn't even there - he had been gone well over a couple of hours now - but his cock apparently wasn't aware of that yet.  He let out a long, plaintive breath between his partially-opened lips as he reached down with his right hand to start stroking himself, imagining it was Brian's hand manipulating him as the palm of his left hand made circular motions over first one nipple and then the other, quickly bringing his arousal to an even higher level; his moans got louder and louder in volume as he allowed his eyes to close and he thought about his encounter with Brian on that swing and how Brian's skilled hands would feel if they were touching him now.  It didn't take long for his body to clench in delicious anticipation and for him to release his pent-up desire for him; several seconds later, his body lay sweaty and panting, his mind still racing with thoughts of the other boy.

 

"Damn you, Brian Kinney," he breathlessly whispered in a ragged voice, knowing that his hope of being fully rested before his next workout with Headstrong tomorrow morning was now an impossible goal.  He would be lucky if he managed to drift off to sleep at all now, although at least he could say that his body had been released temporarily from its torment.   Sighing again more heavily this time, he finally sat upright in the bed and swung his legs around to the side.  Eying the still wadded-up bundle of clothing over in the corner of his dimly-lit room where he had haphazardly tossed it earlier, he placed his bare feet down on the cold, hardwood floor.  Quietly creeping to his bedroom door, he opened it to plod down the hall toward the bathroom to wet a hand cloth to clean himself up.

 

* * *

_Next Morning - Taylor Farmhouse  
_

As he arrived at the kitchen, Justin was relieved to notice Jared not sitting there at the table eating breakfast.  After the confrontation he had overheard last night between his brother and Brian, he had been somewhat nervous about what sort of reaction his brother would have to seeing him this morning, even though it was not his fault that Jared had been rejected.  _He_ hadn't lied about the events; Jared had.  He had a feeling, though, that his brother would still be carrying a grudge over him revealing the lie he had been spreading about him and Brian.  Of course, at the time he didn't know it WAS a lie, but he had a feeling that little detail wouldn't matter to his brother.

 

"Hi, Honey," Jennifer greeted her youngest son with a tender smile from her place at the stove.  "Scrambled eggs and bacon?" she asked him as she stirred a pan of gravy that was going to accompany the homemade biscuits presently baking in the oven.

 

Justin, still damp from his shower and looking decidedly bleary-eyed and tousled from his restless night's sleep, nodded as he shuffled over to the empty chair next to his father and sat down.  Jennifer quickly retrieved a casual, white-with-green-trim dinnerware plate from the oak Hoosier cabinet next to the stove and brought it over to the table to place it down in front of her son.  "Everything should still be warm," she told him as Justin nodded again and reached to scoop out a large portion of the scrambled eggs from the bowl sitting in the center of the table.  He took a pair of metal tongs resting on the edge of the bacon platter to snag a couple of pieces as his mother returned to the stove and his father eyed him from the top of the newspaper section he was perusing.

 

"Ready for Headstrong's work out this morning, Justin?" he asked without any preamble as he studied him like some old-fashioned school marm would.  "What time did you go to bed last night?  You look like shit this morning."

 

"Craig!" Jennifer chided him over his choice of words as she held up the gravy pan and poured the thickened sauce into a medium-sized matching bowl.  "Please... Your language."

 

Craig shrugged.  "Well, he does," he insisted as Justin's face turned red in embarrassment as if his father could figure out the reason why.  "I thought you knew better than to fritter away your sleep time the week before a race.  You know that Headstrong will pick up on your lack of energy."

 

Justin couldn't help sighing.  "I went to bed early enough," he insisted, although it _had_ been much later than he had initially intended; it wasn't _his_ fault, though, that he was minding his own business and someone else decided to interrupt his plans.  "I can't help if it I just happen to not be able to get to sleep."

 

"Were you drinking too many Cokes again before you went to bed last night?"

 

Justin rolled his eyes and huffed softly.

 

"Don't get impertinent with me, Justin; it's a legitimate question," Craig countered as Jennifer walked over with the basket of hot biscuits and bowl of gravy to place them in the middle of the table.  "It wouldn't be the first time, you know."

 

Justin sighed as his mother sat down on the opposite end of the table from his father.  "Give me a little credit, Dad!  I never drink caffeine that late when I know I have to get up early to work with Headstrong before a race!  You know that; I just couldn't get to sleep, that's all."  He looked over at his mother who was peering back at him sympathetically.  Sometimes he felt like he was in this continual, old-time rerun on television.  Did things ever change around here?  Apparently not - not when it came to his father never giving him the benefit of the doubt or having much faith in him.  He wondered how his father would feel if he just up and decided not to race Headstrong at all - how would he like it if he took away a large chunk of the farm's income as a result?  But it wasn't just for his father's sake or his brother's sake that he did it - he did it mainly because of his mother, and because it helped him to hopefully achieve his own goal next year of going to college out of state.  Right now with the way he felt it couldn't come soon enough, but he wasn't about to leave his mother, especially, in the lurch.  He worried constantly about what would happen once he DID leave - how the farm would remain solvent without his ability to bring in so much prize money to help with their finances - but he couldn't stay tied to the farm forever.  It would be up to his father at that point to figure out an alternative.

 

Craig lowered his paper to place it, folded, beside his plate.  "Well, eat up, then; at least you can practice on a full stomach, although normally that's not a problem, is it?"

 

Jennifer sighed this time as Justin averted his eyes and silently picked up his fork to sullenly stab at his scrambled eggs, suddenly feeling no desire to keep verbally battling it out with his father.  She reached over to pick up the basket of biscuits and say, "Here, Sweetheart, have a biscuit while it's hot."  Justin nodded glumly as he grabbed one of them and, pulling it apart, placed the two halves down on his plate and reached for the bowl of thick, brown gravy to spoon a generous amount on top, placing the bowl to his side where his father could reach it along with the biscuits.

 

As Jennifer accepted the food last and placed a small portion of each on her plate, she looked over at Craig to ask, "Where's Jared?  Is he still in bed?"

 

"Apparently," Craig replied tersely.  "And I told that boy to be up early today to do Justin's chores.  I don't like it when one of you boys don't mind what I say," he added as he looked over at Justin.

 

Justin turned his head to avoid letting his father see another disgusted rolling of his eyes as his gaze locked onto his mother's, both silently expressing the same sentiment:  _Why are you directing that at ME and not at Jared?_

 

"Go see what's taking him so long, Jen," Craig told his wife.  "He needs to get down here now; time's a wasting and it's going to be hot today."

 

She nodded as she pushed back from the table with her chair and stood up, silently resentful of his ‘caveman' attitude, but not openly protesting it.  She had been brought up to be the obedient little wife when she got married, but there were times when it distinctly grated on her nerves.  Her husband took a lot for granted at times; he had two, perfectly good legs and a powerful set of lungs; why was it HER job, then, to take care of these sorts of things just because she was supposed to be the ‘good little wife?'  One of these days she just might surprise her husband and tell him to do it himself.

 

Justin hurriedly consumed as much of his breakfast as he could as she left, not particularly wanting to either spend any private time with his surly father or risk any possible confrontation with Jared over Brian.  That was the last thing he either needed or wanted right now, not before the big race this weekend.  He scooped up the last bit of scrambled egg from his plate with his fork and pushed it in his mouth to swallow it at the same time he was wiping his lips off with his rooster-motif napkin.  "I'd better get going," he murmured as he placed the napkin down.  "May I be excused?"

 

To his relief, he father merely waved his hand in confirmation as he continued to sip from his coffee mug and picked up the sports section; Justin took advantage of his father's temporary indifference to quickly push back from the table and stand up.  Grabbing a couple of apples from the fruit bowl lying on top of the sideboard against the back wall, he quickly placed one in each pants pocket before he walked to the door to make his escape.  As he opened the screen door and shut it behind him, he heard his father say, "Don't coddle him, Justin, you hear me?"

 

"Yes, Dad," Justin shouted back in exasperation and barely-disguised disgust as, finally freed from the tense atmosphere surrounding the kitchen table, he headed out in the early-morning sun toward the stables.

 

* * *

 

Standing at the bottom of the steps leading up to her older son's upstairs bedroom several seconds later, Jennifer placed her hand on the well-worn, wooden knob of the railing as she looked upward, not detecting any outward signs of movement.  "Jared!" she shouted out.  "Are you up?  It's getting late, young man!"

 

She stood there for several more seconds before she sighed in disgust.  Proceeding to walk up the steps now, she reached the top of the landing and observed her son's bedroom door closed.  Shaking her head over the difference in values and sense of responsibility between her two sons, she walked over and instead of knocking on the door proceeded to turn the knob to open it unannounced.

 

Just as she figured, her oldest child was sprawled diagonally across the bed face down, one leg poking out of the crumpled, dark blue comforter as he lightly snored away.  His hands were lying underneath his pillow and his tousled, dark head was turned to the side as he softly breathed in and out in slumber.  Obviously their son had made no attempt to set his alarm clock last night; it currently read 7:00 a.m. and Jared should have been dressed and downstairs at least thirty minutes ago.  She peered over at her rebellious son in thinly-veiled aggravation; she loved both her sons dearly, but it seems that in the past few years especially it was becoming harder and harder to generate much respect for her oldest one, especially when she witnessed his frequent and flagrant disregard of their wishes.   Not for the first time, she wondered why Craig was so hard on Justin and so lenient with Jared.  Well, she could help to balance that out right now.

 

"Jared Alan Taylor!" she boomed out as she watched her son's body jerk in reaction.  "Get yourself out of that bed NOW!"

 

Jared's heart raced as he heard his mother's voice from a few inches away.  Instead of raising his head to peer over at her, however, he merely took his cover and pulled it over his head in a futile, childish attempt to somehow drown out her command.

 

In response, Jennifer reached down and promptly pulled the cover completely off her son's body, making sure it landed on the floor out of his reach.  "I said, GET UP NOW, Jared!" she demanded.  "If I have to say it again, I will go get your father to repeat it for you."

 

She watched just a little smugly as the implied threat had its desired effect and her son raised his arms above his head as his eyes opened slowly to glare over at her.  "Where is the fire?" he groused as he turned over to flop down onto his back and he rubbed his hand over his eyes wearily.

 

Jennifer's blue eyes flashed in irritation; she could accept a teenager's laziness at times, especially when it was during summer break, but she could NOT approve nor condone outright disrespect or insolence.  She briefly thought of reaching down to smack the living shit out of her son on the top of his head for his attitude, but thought better of it as she merely stated coolly, "You were told by your father last night to be up early to do your brother's chores. Now you have fifteen minutes to get showered, changed, and get your lazy butt down to the breakfast table, or I WILL tell your father about your horrible attitude and he can come up and remind you of your responsibilities.  Which is it going to be?"

 

Jared groaned, a headache threatening to burst forward as he slowly propped his torso up on his elbows and sluggishly sat up in his bed.  He knew that voice, and he knew better than to disregard his mother's threat as an idle one.  He could occasionally ignore his mother's wishes, but his father was another matter, and he had been quite adamant in his demand for him to do his little brother's chores while he was practicing for the next race on Saturday.

 

He looked up at her serious-looking face to grumble, "Okay, okay. I'm up.  I'll be down in a little while."

 

"Not a ‘little while,' Jared, _fifteen minutes_ ," Jennifer reminded him curtly as she turned to go.  "Get cracking."  She could distinctly hear Jared muttering under his breath as he slowly rose to his feet, but she chose to ignore it as she quickly retreated back out into the hallway, not for the first time wondering what in the world they were going to do with their oldest son.  Except for his cars, the boy seemed to have no ambition anymore at all.  Well, she was going to have to discuss that with Craig; she was not going to let him idly while away his time this summer any longer and not do anything productive.  They were a lot better off than the Walkers were, but that was due in large part to Justin's success at winning.  Once he was gone - and she was determined not to let anything stand in the way of his dream to go away to school - that financial cushion would be promptly removed.  It was time, then, to talk to Craig about Jared either pulling his own weight around the farm or moving out and finding some way to be self-sufficient on his own.

 

She heard the bathroom door slamming upstairs as she reached the bottom landing, knowing Jared was angry at her but not caring.  _He has brought all of it on himself_ , she said to herself silently as she arrived back in the kitchen, noticing Justin was now absent.  Craig was placing his dirty dishes in the sink as he turned around at the sound of her returning.

 

"Justin already outside?" she asked him as she gathered up the remainder of the soiled dishes from the kitchen table and brought them over to the sink to place them on top of the other ones.

 

Craig nodded.  "Yeah, he should be out at the stables by now.  I only hope he's able to focus properly on what he needs to do; you saw how he looked."  He glanced around, noticing that Jared hadn't followed his mother down.  "Where's our other son?" he asked with some degree of concern.

 

Jennifer sighed.  " _Your son_ was still in bed when I went up there just now," she reported as she turned on the faucet to rinse off a couple of the plates.  "He just got into the shower as I was coming downstairs."

 

Craig's brows narrowed in consternation.  "I told him last night that I needed him up early to take care of Justin's chores.  He must not have set his alarm, or it's not working properly."

 

Jennifer looked at him incredulously as she turned around to wipe her hands on a dish towel before leaning her body against the sink behind her.  "No, his clock was working perfectly; it was seven o'clock on the nose.  Face it, Craig!  Jared does what he wants to do because you let him get away with it."

 

Craig brushed his hand through his head in nervous agitation, a trait that his youngest son had picked up from him whenever he was worried about something.  "We've already discussed this, Jen.  He's not even out of his teens yet.  He will have plenty of time for real world responsibility when he gets a little older.  I can control him; let him have a little fun in the meantime."

 

Jennifer pursed her lips tightly together in irritation.  "Craig, he's not a child anymore!  Justin is shouldering more of the responsibility around here right now than HE is!  Either he needs to own up to his part of the chores around here or..."

 

"Or what, Jen?  Say it."

 

"... Or we need to tell him that he either needs to go out and find a job that will help pay for the operation of this farm or he'll have to go find a place of his own, period!  You of all people know how expensive running a farm is, especially during the lean times.  If it hadn't been for Justin..."

 

"Yes, yes, I know," Craig interrupted her impatiently with a wave of his hand.  "I've heard this a thousand times before, Jen!  If it hadn't been for Justin and his winnings from all these races, we would be in dire straits right now; don't you think I'm aware of that?  Do you know how that makes me feel, by the way, to know that as the man of the house I'm not living up to my obligations to provide for my family?  That my own son is bringing in more money right now than I am?  Do you?  Have you ever thought about that?"

 

Jennifer sighed.  "Of course I have!  And I know it must be a blow to your ego to acknowledge that fact!  But it's the truth, Craig!  If it wasn't mainly for Justin we would be in as much trouble right now as the Walkers are!"

 

Craig bristled at the implied insult.  "I am well aware of that, Jennifer, believe me."

 

"Are you, Craig? Well, you should be more grateful to him, then, for his hard work and dedication.  In fact, he's much more focused and mature than Jared is, so why are you always so hard on him?  No, let me finish," Jennifer pressed, gesturing with her hands as Craig started to open his mouth to respond.  "All he wants from you is a little indication that you love him, that you care about him, and that you appreciate what he does around here.  But all he seems to get from you instead is ‘you'd better be in top form, Justin,' or ‘you'd better get busy, Justin.'  Craig, he's still a boy himself!  He needs some time to just relax and have a little fun, to go swimming, to take a ride out into the woods, to sketch.  Have you even seen him with a sketchpad lately?  No," she said, not allowing him to respond yet.  "You haven't, because he hasn't had time to use one.  And he loves it so, Craig!  That's his dream, to combine his art with equestrian therapy in college, so he can use his love of art and horses to help others.  But how can he improve upon his chances of being admitted to Vanderbilt if he's not allowed to practice both of his skills?"

 

Craig whispered "Shh" to her like she was some precocious little child when he heard Jared clopping down the stairs, no doubt wearing his favorite, worn, black leather boots.  The boy practically slept and bathed in them.  "We'll talk about this later," he murmured in dismissal, not wanting Jared to overhear.

 

Jennifer was not about to let it go so easily.  "You bet we will, Craig," she told him curtly.  "Plan on it."

 

Craig's eyes widened slightly at the contentious tone in his wife's voice - he was unaccustomed to her being so assertive - before he turned to observe their oldest son almost swaggering in from the hallway.  His jaw set in aggravation over his cavalier attitude, he watched as Jared walked in to casually ask, "What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

 

Craig reached over to snatch a banana from the wooden ripening hanger nearby.  "Here's your breakfast, Jared," he growled as he lobbed it at him.  Jared managed somehow to contain his initial, stunned surprise at his father's angry tone of voice as he caught it and dumbly said, "What's this?"

 

"You heard me!  It's your breakfast, since you're almost an hour late," he was informed. "You're lucky to get that!" Craig snapped, more embarrassed than angry that his son had so callously flaunted the extra attention and privileges he had bestowed upon him since he had been out of school.  "Now take your breakfast and get out there and start on your brother's chores unless you want to be assigned cleaning out the stalls, too!"

 

"But..."

 

"That's enough, Jared!  I thought I had made myself clear how important this was; obviously you weren't paying enough attention.  Now either get out there and get busy, or you can kiss working on your car goodbye until you finish for the week! Do you understand me?"

 

Jared glared over at his mother, who stared unflinchingly back at him.  "Thanks, Mom," he said sarcastically as he turned to go.

 

"Just a minute, young man," Craig called after him; his brusque tone of voice causing his son to slowly turn around.  "Let me get one more thing straight; you do not disrespect either me OR your mother.  And don't go trying to blame her for you getting into trouble.  If you had done what I asked in the first place, none of this would be necessary and you would already be out there working like your brother is.  Now go before I decide to take that damn car completely away from you and assign Justin's chores to you permanently!"

 

Jared sighed heavily in resignation; his bluster gone in the face of his father's surprising defense of both his mother and Justin.  "Yes, Sir," he gritted out as he jammed the banana into his jeans pocket and walked toward the back door.

 

"And one more thing, Jared," Craig warned him as his son placed his hand on the back door knob, preparing to leave as he sighed heavily in disgust.  "Don't be giving your brother a hard time about doing his chores; he needs to concentrate on the race.  Don't be interrupting his practice."

 

"Wouldn't hear of it," Jared muttered as he turned to leave.  As the back screen door banged shut, Jennifer turned to her husband in surprise.  "I didn't expect that from you," she admitted, still peeved over her husband's continual show of favoritism for Jared but at least grateful that he had stood up to their son and insisted he follow through on what he had been assigned.  Her expression sobered as she added, "But it's just a start, Craig."

 

Craig let out a tense breath.  He didn't like arguing with any of his family, and if he was honest with himself, Jen was right.  Maybe he _wasn't_ giving Justin enough credit.  Unlike Jared, Justin had always been the responsible son, the caring son, and the one they depended upon, and maybe he had come to take that for granted.  Since he had been a child, Jared had always been the more troublesome and difficult one, the free spirit.  It was both a curse and blessing to their child and to them; while he admired his child's devil-may-care attitude, it also created a lot of bumps along the road for them, whether it was Jared acting out in school, in church, or in town.  Justin, on the other hand, had never been any problem to them and had always been the ‘good' child, the obedient child, so much so to the point that maybe he didn't pay as much attention to him because he didn't _have_ to.

 

As much as he hated to admit it, without Justin's help the past few years they might very well be living in the trailer that Vic presently occupied, being the caretakers for someone else who had come along and bought their much-loved property out from under them instead of still enjoying their treasured family home.  He suddenly felt a little ashamed about that fact.  "I know," he found himself now softly admitting.  "I... I do appreciate what Justin has done around here.   He's a good boy, Jen."  He inhaled and then let out a deep breath before looking into his wife's eyes.  "I'll try to make a better attempt to let him know that.  You know I love him just as much as Jared."

 

Jennifer cocked one elegantly-shaped eyebrow, not quite convinced but willing to give her husband the benefit of the doubt.  "Well, then tell him that, Craig; _show_ him that you love him instead of finding ways to criticize everything he does."

 

Craig looked into her fiery blue eyes for a moment before he nodded.  "I'd better get out there and make sure that Jared is doing what I told him to do," he told her.  As he turned to go, almost as an afterthought he turned and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.  As he pulled back, he whispered, "I love you, too, you know, even though I don't tell you that very often."

 

Jennifer quirked one side of her mouth up into a half-smile, a little surprised by the admission.  It was rare when Craig came out and said those three little words, so whenever he did it always caught her a little off guard.  She sighed softly.  "I love you, too; it's just that sometimes I like you better than at other times."

 

Craig had to smile softly at that.  "Fair enough," he told her as he turned to go.  "See you later."

 

She nodded as she watched him go out the door; she stood there lost in thought for a few moments longer before she turned around to finish rinsing off the breakfast dishes and began to fill the sink with some hot water.

 


	10. Painful Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian and his Aunt Sarah conspire to avoid a blowup on their uncle's part when Brian finds something unexpected behind the barn; Brian's latest chore finds him running 'afowl' of his adversaries...

Brian rubbed the sleep from his eyes as, still damp from the shower but fully dressed in jeans, his favorite brown calf boots and a sleeveless, black, button-down cotton shirt, he emerged into the kitchen of the Walker farmhouse, relieved to notice that his uncle was nowhere to be found.   Although the two of them had come to a somewhat uneasy truce as of late, the man still grated on his nerves at times with his surly attitude.  He couldn't help smiling a little at his aunt, however, who was sitting at the oval-shaped kitchen table sipping from a white coffee mug as she glanced at a well-worn, dog-eared cookbook.

 

"Brian," she greeted him affectionately with a smile and a nod; in the few days her nephew had been here, she was quickly becoming fond of him, despite her initial reservations.  She could tell underneath his gruff exterior that he wasn't quite as tough as he would like everyone to think he was.  "You're up early," she observed as she reached to pull out the chair next to her in invitation.

 

He walked over and slid his long body into the chair as she poured a cup of coffee for him out of a warming carafe on the table.  "Did I have a choice?" he softly grumbled.  Getting to bed much later than he should have, plus coupled with spending most of the time thinking about what he should or shouldn't have done regarding a certain blond next door, did not make for much of a restful night's sleep.  In fact, it hadn't made for much sleep at all.  It had been one of those nights where he had lain in bed, staring at the ceiling or periodically turning his head to gaze over at the garishly-red LED light of the small bedside clock that almost mocked him with its announcement that yet another hour had crept by without any sleep.  Finally, at 5:30 a.m. he had decided it was doing him no good to just lie there and watch another hour go by, so he decided to drag his lethargic body from the bed and lumber into the bathroom, hoping that a shower would invigorate him somewhat.  It had simply served, however, to allow his mind to drift into areas he shouldn't have permitted it to, and a few minutes later his erotic daydreaming over what he had hoped would have happened last night had caused him to shoot his load all over the shower walls as he came with an almost violent reaction and sagged against the cold ceramic tiles for support.

 

Now as he glanced over at his aunt he knew she had no way of knowing just what the cause of his insomnia was, but she still seemed to be peering at him with a sort of enigmatic smile on her face as she replied quietly, "Well, you did in a way; you always have a choice."

 

Brian snorted softly.  "Hardly.  Get up before even the roosters start crowing to do my good deeds around Sunnybrook Farm, or work on the prison chain gang picking up bottles, dead animals, and condoms from the side of a road for the next ten years.  Even _I_ know which one is the better choice."  Actually he wasn't being fair; now that he had gotten more accustomed to staying at his aunt and uncle's farm, he had to grudgingly admit that it wasn't all bad.  There were certain parts that he kind of liked in a way.  For instance, he had enjoyed tinkering with his uncle's beat-up tractor the other day - secretly pleased by the incredulous look on his face as he triumphantly started it up and backed it out of the barn - and the weed he had commandeered last night hadn't been half bad, either.  His aunt, too, had proven to be quite pleasant to be around and treated him with respect, which was a lot more than he could say for his parents.  And, of course, there was a certain beautiful blond boy that lived next door that he couldn't seem to get out of his mind.  Yes, there were actually some parts to living in Hicksville that he had grown to like, in fact.  He just didn't have the nerve to admit that to his aunt yet, however.

 

Sarah nodded.  "Well, I guess that's true.  But you did have a choice whether to get up early like your uncle asked you to or not.  You could have just stayed in bed."   She stared into her nephew's face as he averted his eyes to take another sip of his coffee, noticing the blurry-looking eyes and the drawn look on his face.  "You don't look like you slept too well last night at all," she commented.  "Is the mattress not comfortable enough for you?"  _Or was it something else, Brian?  Or SOMEONE else?  
_

Brian kept his eyes cast downward as he mumbled, "It's all right.  I... I just had a lot on my mind, that's all."  He lifted his gaze to look into his aunt's kind face as he tried to explain his lack of sleep away.  "You have to remember - this is like being in a foreign country or something to me; maybe even another planet."

 

Sarah had a feeling there was a lot more to it than that, but she wisely chose to ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her mind as she fixed him with a smile and an understanding nod.  "Well, I'm glad it's not the mattress.  I fixed your uncle an egg white omelet and some whole wheat toast.  What would you like for breakfast?  You can't work very well on an empty stomach."

 

Brian took another sip of his coffee before he replied, "I'm not that hungry.  Maybe just some toast."

 

Sarah clucked in disapproval.  "Toast isn't very substantial, Brian.  As least let me fix you some oatmeal to go with the toast, okay?"

 

Brian sighed in resignation over his aunt's concern, still somewhat amazed by the difference between her and his mother.  Back home, he would be expected to fix his own breakfast, whatever it might be.  Normally he just plopped a couple of pieces of whole wheat bread into the toaster and maybe ate them with a piece of fruit; he wasn't used to someone actually caring about whether he ate or not, much less fixing it for him.  "Well, if it's not too much trouble..."

 

Sarah beamed as she scooted back from her chair.  "No, of course it isn't!" she replied, delighted that Brian was actually agreeing to it.  Something told her he wasn't used to getting much attention back home, and that was probably at least part of the reason why he seemed to be in trouble all the time.  She loved her sister, but sometimes she had serious doubts about her parenting skills.  And Jack - the few times she had observed him he certainly didn't appear to be the fatherly type; normally he was more apt to be bragging about his latest wins at the local racetrack than interacting with them over coffee or meals.  And the amount of alcohol that he seemed to consume every time they got together for holidays or occasional visits seemed way too exorbitant in her opinion.  She never _had_ cared much for Joan's husband, and she couldn't help thinking that he had definitely not been a good influence on this young man's life.

 

She smiled reassuringly at Brian as she walked over to grab the canister of old-fashioned oats from the pantry and the homemade loaf of bread sitting on a wooden block on the counter near the refrigerator.  "I _would_ offer you some fruit to go on top of the oatmeal," she explained somewhat apologetically, "but I ran out yesterday."  She poured a cup of the oatmeal into a ceramic bowl with some water as she placed it in the microwave and turned it on to cook before she deftly sliced two pieces of whole wheat bread from the loaf and placed them in the toaster.

 

Walking over to join him at the kitchen table, she looked over at him a little sheepishly as she informed him, "Actually, that's going to be one of your chores today."

 

Brian frowned.  "What's that?"  Images of him calf-deep in chicken manure from the other day filtered through his mind; he supposed nothing could be much worse than that awful ammonia smell had been.

 

"I asked Will if I could borrow you today; I could use your help getting some blackberries and strawberries picked this morning, along with gathering eggs from the chicken coop.  He's already gone into town to buy some feed anyway, so he said it would be all right."

 

Brian bit his lip.  Berry picking or gathering eggs didn't sound too bad, especially after the last type of chore he had endured, although he remembered all those wild blackberry briars he kept running into along the path to and from the swimming hole.  He had to bite back a groan that tried to escape just then; it was a bad idea to think about that swimming hole, because it merely made him think of something, no _someone_ else that he had discovered there and what that particular ‘someone else' had looked like bobbing in that water.  He knew that no matter what he had told Justin last night about how easy it would be to find someone else to take his place, he realized that was total bullshit; after seeing him in all his glory floating on that water, tasting those lips last night and feeling that lithe little body pressed against his in the porch swing, he knew there couldn't possibly be an equal replacement for him.

 

The sound of the bread being ejected from the toaster startled Brian out of his daydreaming as he blinked before peering over at his aunt, who was looking at him curiously.  "Brian?  Is that okay with you?"

 

"Uh, yeah... I guess.  I, uh, are there thorns on the blackberry bushes?"

 

To her credit, Sarah didn't laugh at his question like someone else might; instead, she shook her head and smiled.  "No, you'll be glad to know that actually there aren't any on these; they're a larger, domestic type that don't have thorns like the wild ones do."

 

Brian nodded in relief. "And the eggs?"

 

"They don't have thorns, either," Sarah teased before she laughed at the look on his face.  "What _about_ the eggs?"

 

Brian couldn't help grinning at his aunt's attempt at humor.  "I mean - is there a certain technique to gathering these eggs?"

 

She got up to walk over to the microwave as it beeped to indicate the oatmeal was done as she shook her head.  "Not really," she informed him.  "I'll give you a basket with a handle on it to gather them with.  But don't expect them all to be lying conveniently where the chickens roost; that only happens on TV and in the movies."

 

Brian frowned as his aunt brought his oatmeal and toast over to him and placed it down in front of him.  "What do you mean?"

 

"What I mean is, it's kind of like an Easter egg hunt; those hens will lay them wherever they please - in the coop, on the ground, anywhere.  You have to look all over for them.  Oh, and if you see our rooster biting one of the hens, don't worry.  He's just flirting with her."

 

Brian looked at her confused; did he hear that right?  "Flirting with her?"

 

Sarah grinned.  "It's part of their mating ritual, believe it or not; nothing to worry about."

 

"Good," Brian declared as he scooped a couple teaspoons of sugar into his oatmeal and swirled it around with his spoon.  "I got a close up look at that guy's talons when I was cleaning out his digs and I'm not planning on interfering with his love life."

 

Sarah laughed.  "Don't worry - he and the chickens will get out of your way if you get too close to them, trust me.  You'll be fine."

 

Brian eyed her warily, not quite convinced, but he decided playing the part of a hunter and gatherer of berries and eggs sounded a whole lot better than diving back into chicken shit.

 

* * *

_Forty-Five Minutes Later - Walker Farm_

Brian couldn't believe all the chickens clucking and scurrying around his feet; the other day when he had cleaned out the coop he hadn't recalled so many.  But he figured since his aunt and uncle allowed them free range around certain parts of their property, most of them must have been out when he had cleaned out their ‘home.'  Now, though, it seemed like they were everywhere under his feet; he had to watch where he stepped, not only to avoid stepping in chicken shit but also to make sure he didn't step on one and turn it suddenly into the newest member of the KFC assembly line.

 

He reached down on the ground near the coop to snag two eggs sitting side by side near the outside front wall.  "She was right," he muttered aloud.  "You chickens get laid more than the tricks at the bus station."  He was amazed by how warm the eggs felt when he picked them up; he didn't know what he was thinking, but he must have had some jaded image from buying eggs at the grocery.  He mistakenly thought they would be cold to the touch, but these were nothing of the kind.  He crinkled his nose just then, wondering just how ‘fresh' these particular eggs were.  Thoughts of contracting some exotic animal disease filtered through his mind as he mentally made a note to make sure he thoroughly washed his hands when he returned to the house before he undertook the next part of his chores for the day.

 

Walking gingerly into the shed and having to stoop to enter, he observed that most of the chickens were outside; there were two reddish-brown hens, however, that were sitting on their nests, their bodies plumped out at the bottom.  They eyed him anxiously with their beady, little, piercing eyes as he stared one of them down.  "You don't scare me," he told them, not sure if he was trying to convince him or them.  "Nice little chickens," he cooed as he carefully approached the nearest one, who began to cluck louder and louder the closer he came.  "Just hand over the eggs and no one will get hurt," he snickered.

 

 Actually, he didn't even know if there _were_ any eggs underneath her; perhaps his aunt really didn't need one or two more, but it was the principle of the thing.  He was not going to let any female chick intimidate him, human, fowl or otherwise.  Despite what his aunt had told him about not having to worry about being accosted, he stopped about a foot away out of claw range as he gingerly reached over toward the hen that began to cluck even more frantically while the other hen roosting nearby joined in.

 

"Great, a duet," Brian growled in disgust.  "Don't give up your day job, girls."

 

He winced at the loud squawking that suddenly erupted.  Throwing caution to the wind, he walked a couple of steps closer before he held his breath and reached underneath the hen with the intent of checking for possible eggs.  He jumped back, however, as the chicken let out one last screech and promptly flew off her roost; her wings were so close to his face he could feel the wind they generated as he ducked in self-defense.

 

"Shit!" he cried out in disgust as he waved his arms around, resulting in startling the other hen that flew away just like the other one.  At least he had succeeded in shooing them both away, however, and he was rewarded with three more eggs as a result.   "Nice try," he muttered smugly as he scooped up his bounty.

 

A few minutes later, he emerged from the chicken coop, wiping sweat from his brow with the tail of his now unbuttoned shirt and feeling like he had just survived a combat zone.  He shook his head, wondering again if this was preferable to doing hard time at the state pen, but knowing the answer already.  It wasn't the most pleasant of tasks, and certainly not what he would choose for himself, but he knew it could be a lot worse.

 

All in all, he had found a total of 32 eggs.  He wondered what in the world his aunt would do with so many eggs as he left the enclosed area of the coop's range and closed the gate behind him, noticing his aunt walking toward him with a glass of what appeared to be lemonade.

 

"How did you do?" she asked him.  She peered into the basket bulging with eggs and smiled.  "I see you figured it out.  You did quite well for a beginner; how many did you find?"

 

"Thirty two if I counted right," he informed her, almost with a touch of pride that he had survived his first smack down with the chicken gang.

 

She nodded with a pleased smile.  "I'll take that," she offered as she accepted the heavy container from him and crooked the handle over her left arm.  She held out the large, clear, plastic glass in her other hand as she said, "I brought you some lemonade; I thought you could use it."

 

"Thanks," Brian said gratefully as he took it and downed about half of it in one big gulp.  He let out a deep breath afterward.  "That felt good."  She nodded with a smile as he returned the glass to her.  "Now you said you needed some berries picked?"

 

She nodded again.  "Yes.  I haven't had a chance in a few days to check any of the bushes, so I'm hoping they're full; that is, if all the birds haven't feasted on them yet.  Little feathered thieves!" she growled good-naturedly.  "The picking baskets are in the shed behind our barn.  Just walk around the side of the barn and you can't miss it.  It's not locked; there's really nothing of value in there, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding them inside."

 

Brian nodded.  "How many do you think I'll need?"

 

She twisted her mouth thoughtfully.  "Well, each one holds five gallons, so I'd probably take maybe three or four?  They can get pretty heavy, though, so maybe you'd better haul them out there with the tractor."  She grinned.  "Once you got your uncle's tractor going again, he couldn't wait to hook up his old trailer to it; it's still attached.  I'd take advantage of it and tow the buckets out there.  Believe me, once you get them filled up, they will be extremely heavy to carry and you'll be glad that you did."

 

Brian thought about protesting that he didn't need to rely on something like that just to carry some berries back to the house, but he trusted his aunt; if she told him they would be really heavy, he should believe her.  So instead he nodded in agreement.  "Okay."

 

She nodded back at him.  "I'm going to go put these in the refrigerator," she told him.  "If you need me I'll be in the kitchen.  I'm making a big bowl of potato salad and two dozen deviled eggs for the town social tomorrow night, and hopefully some blackberry cobbler if I have time."

 

"Town social?" Brian inquired, thinking _how quaint_.

 

Sarah nodded.  "Yeah, they have this big event every year in June to kind of kick off the summer growing season.   They claim it's to get to know all our neighbors better and to discuss any issues that might concern us.  We all sit around and socialize and get reacquainted, and they have some music and games you can try your hand at.  But if you ask me, I think they just want an excuse to eat.  I have to admit, though, the homemade ice cream that the Bargers bring in every year is the best; wait until you taste it."

 

Brian shook his head.  "I don't think I'd be interested in that," he told her softly.  The idea of sitting around with a bunch of old timers as they shoved a chaw of tobacco into their mouths and sat on bales of hay as they talked about soybeans and fertilizer didn't appeal to him at all.

 

Sarah studied him for a few moments before she shrugged slightly, trying to act indifferent.  "Well, it's up to you.  But normally both of the Taylor brothers come with their mother and father every year."  She noticed Brian's eyes light up at that comment; something told her his reaction was directed more toward the younger brother, however, than at Jared.

 

"They do?" Brian asked before he could control himself.  _Damn it, could he sound any more eager than some puppy at the moment?_

She nodded as she tried to hide her pleased smile; _I thought so_.  "They sure do.   Although I suspect they go more out of their father urging them to do it than a real desire to be there.  But maybe if you went, too, they would have someone else to hang out with their own age.  You'd be doing them a favor," she suggested slyly.

 

Brian smiled back at her; the more he thought about it, the more he decided that idea didn't sound half bad, especially if he could find a way for him and Justin to be alone and create their own version of rolling in the hay.  "Yeah," he murmured.  "I'll think about it."

 

She grinned.  "Good.  Well, I'd better let you get back to your work.  Why don't you stop around noon and I'll have lunch waiting for you?  Will should be back way before then and we can eat together."  Brian gave her an ‘O _h, goody'_ type of look as her grin became wider.  "Now don't give me that look, Brian Kinney.  Will is definitely warming up to you, I can tell."

 

Brian snorted.  "Yeah... right.  Instead of it feeling like Antarctica around him now, it feels more like the balmy winds of Alaska."

 

She chuckled at the odd comparison.  "Well, despite what you think, he really is starting to like you... Juneau?"  Brian eyed her like she had two heads at the odd statement until he caught the punch line and then shook his head at her strange sense of humor before half snorting/half laughing at her feeble attempt at a joke.

 

"Sorry - just a little corny humor," she told him with a wink as she turned to go.  "I'll see you in a couple of hours.  Good luck - oh, and make sure you wear gloves when you pick the berries, or you'll wind up with purple hands!  There should be a couple of pairs out in the shed along with the buckets."

 

Brian looked at her retreating form aghast, grateful that at least she had warned him ahead of time before he turned and walked over toward the side of the barn.

 

* * *

 

His aunt had wound up being right; once he had turned the corner of the barn, the weathered, wooden, light-gray shed was directly behind it.  A dirt path, wide enough for a pair of tire tracks, ran from the back doors of the barn directly to the shed, but it didn't appear to be utilized very much.  Weeds and wildflowers were growing along the back exterior of the barn in profusion, so it was obvious that it hadn't been used lately.  In fact, weeds were everywhere.  Thankfully there was enough of a small, narrow footpath for Brian to follow from the side of the barn over to the shed to avoid skin contact with the thicket of plants; he stuck to it religiously for fear of encountering more blackberry thorns or some sort of poison ivy.  He had discovered to his consternation that he seemed to be a ‘poison ivy magnet' when he had encountered some previously in the woods at the local park.

 

A few years ago, he and another boy had decided to hike down from the open baseball fields of the park to the wooded area surrounding the nearby creek to sneak in a smoke and maybe do some ‘other' type of exploring with each other.  At the time, he hadn't even paid any mind to all the wildflowers and weeds growing along the wood line, but later that evening he started itching like crazy, so much so that his mother had wound up having to take him to the doctor early the next day.  To say it had been awkward explaining how he had been exposed to poison ivy around his cock and his ass was an understatement; the look of disgust on his mother's face had closely resembled the same one a child would make after they were forced to eat spinach for the first time.  He had hoped that her face might actually freeze that way somehow, but unfortunately it had finally transformed afterward back into her typical, shrunken apple doll visage instead.  That had been the first time his mother had realized he was queer, and the last time she had tried to keep hooking him up with the ‘good little Catholic girls' that lived in the neighborhood.  At least there had been one good thing to come out of his ‘exposure,' then... He no longer had to hide who he really was, and he had found it extremely liberating.

 

Now as he approached the weed-infested shed, his attention was drawn toward the rear barn doors where a faded, gray canvas tarp was draped over a large object of some kind toward the left side, much like the tractor had been covered, only it had been protected better by the elements.  Whatever was underneath this tarp appeared to be somewhat larger than the tractor, however, and it was obvious it hadn't been touched in a long time, at least if the condition of the tarp was any indication.  Weeds were not only growing chest high all around it, but also growing through the canvas itself.  No, whatever was under this tarp, unlike the tractor, hadn't been viewed in quite a while.  His curiosity got the best of him as, the baskets and his chores temporarily forgotten, he walked over to take a closer look.

 

* * *

_A few minutes earlier..._

"Hi, Sweetheart," Sarah greeted her husband as she heard the back porch door creak; she noticed with amusement that Will had what appeared to be pieces of hay matted in his hair, probably from where he had picked up the bales he had purchased in town and hauled them out of the back of their pickup truck.  No one could ever mistake her husband for a city slicker.

 

"Hey," he responded as he walked up and placed his calloused hands on her shoulders to peer down at the large bowl in front of her; she noticed he was wearing his favorite pair of worn, blue-jean coveralls and black-and-white, long-sleeved plaid cotton flannel shirt with the cuffs rolled up.  "I see you found enough eggs in the chicken coop to make your deviled egg dish tomorrow."  He impulsively reached down to lightly kiss her cheek from behind as Sarah beamed at the affectionate gesture, so reminiscent of the way her husband used to be but so rarely demonstrated as of late, at least not since their son had died.  It felt good, but also unexpected; she thought fleetingly that maybe Brian was having a good influence on her husband as she leaned her head back against his chest and replied, "Not me; Brian.  He found 32 of them.  We might just make a farm boy out of him yet."

 

Will walked over to the coffeemaker located on top of their corner kitchen cabinet as he helped himself to some, not surprised that his favorite mug was lying next to it, ready to be filled; the ability to anticipate what he needed was one of the things that he loved the most about his wife.  "Well, we'll have to see about that," he told her a little gruffly, unconvinced that their nephew would _ever_ embrace country living.  "What time did our ‘guest' roll out of bed this morning anyway?"

 

She smiled as she continued to slice open the hard-boiled eggs, placing the white part face up on a golden-yellow, glass deviled-egg platter and the yolks into a medium-sized bowl.  "He was down here for breakfast right after you left, believe it or not," she told him to his surprise.  "Dressed and ready to go."

 

Will turned around to lean against the back of the cabinet, raising a brow in surprise as he held his John Deere yellow-and-green coffee mug in his left hand.  "Really?  Could it be he's not as lazy as I think?"

 

Sarah's eyes flashed in righteous indignation.  "I never thought he was lazy, Will, and I don't think you really did, either," she chided him softly.  "He's just not had enough direction or attention in his life.  I'm sure that's why he's gotten into so much trouble back home.  Has he been in trouble here?"

 

Will snorted as he carried his coffee mug over to the table and sat down next to his wife.  "Well, not that I'm aware of, other than disobeying my wishes," he admitted grudgingly. "But it's only been a few days, too.  Maybe it's just harder to FIND trouble out here than in the big city."

 

She stopped slicing the eggs for a moment as she peered over at her husband to counter, "But he really has not been a problem since he's been here at all, and I really think he's trying harder now to please us, don't you?  He DID get your tractor to start, which is going to be a tremendous time saver for you, and he's out there right now picking berries for me without complaint.  And he got up on time this morning."

 

"For a change," Will conceded.  He sighed.  "All right.  Maybe he really is trying - a little.  But I'm going to hold off judgment for now."  He frowned over a sudden realization.  "You said he's out picking berries?  I just drove by the fence and I didn't see him over there."  When he and Sarah had first discussed wanting to plant several blackberry bushes and strawberry plants, the Taylors had graciously agreed to allow them to plant them against part of their fence to help support their growth; in exchange, Sarah promised to provide them with plenty of her homemade, prize-winning cobblers to which all of them, especially Justin, had enthusiastically agreed.

 

"Well, he's probably still out by the shed getting the baskets," Sarah advised him reasonably.  "I told him he could take the tractor and trailer out there so he wouldn't have to carry them back afterward; you know how heavy they get when they're full."

 

Will huffed.  "I guess," he agreed reluctantly.  "But I certainly don't hear the tractor; it chugs out so much black smoke and makes such a racket when it's running that I'd know if he's started it up.  I'd better go make sure he's not goofing off somewhere after all."

 

Sarah sighed.   _Can't her husband have just a little faith in him?  No wonder the boy is so unsure of himself at times, despite his cocky exterior._   "Well, I'm sure he's doing exactly what he should be doing, but go ahead.  Lunch will be ready in about an hour."

 

Will nodded as he chugged down a large gulp of his black coffee and placed the half-full mug back down on the kitchen table.  "I'll go check on him and then I'll be out in the barn straightening up."

 

As he slammed the screen door behind him a few seconds later, Sarah silently hoped that her trust in Brian was justified and that he was doing precisely what he should be doing.

 

* * *

 

Brian carefully crept closer to the tarp, studiously examining every weed to make sure it didn't appear to be either poisonous or possess thorns.  He had had enough of both plant types to avoid each one.  He had always heard that you should avoid anything that had three leaves, so whatever remotely resembled poison ivy or even gave off the impression of having a sticker of any kind was fervently avoided as he at last managed to wedge himself up against one corner of the tarp that was hanging loose over the edge of whatever it was hiding.  As he bent down to examine it further, he noticed how threadbare the tarp actually was; the ends had small, round metal eyelets like the type you might thread rope through, but if they had actually been used that way in the past there was no evidence of it now; the flaps were slowly blowing in the quickly-warming, late spring breeze like a gentle wave.  He refused to consider what - or who - might had frayed the corners (deliberately pushing away images of anything with sharp teeth and a long tail from his mind) as he reached down to grab the nearest corner and pull it up and away from whatever it was hiding underneath.  As he held it up to peer at the object, his eyes widened in shock over what he spied.  He immediately recognized what it was in spite of its somewhat forlorn appearance, because he had seen one very similar to it the other day at the Taylor Farm.  It was a racing sulky; oddly the blue body of the device appeared to be in fairly decent shape, but it was missing its two wheels that he recalled being on the Taylors' model.  He frowned.  Why would his aunt and uncle even have one of these on their farm?  They didn't have any horses.  And why would it be sitting here out behind the barn, only half-assembled and apparently long forgotten, especially when it was apparent that they were not exactly well off financially and, in fact, seemed to be in almost desperate need for more money?  He could understand his uncle holding onto a tractor of his that had sentimental value, but why would anyone want to cling to something like this that obviously had been discarded when they could at least sell it for scrap metal?  He furrowed his brow, lost in thought as he tried to put the pieces together into something that made sense.

 

* * *

 

Sarah turned back to her work with the eggs as she thought about her conversation just now with her husband and she gasped as an awful thought suddenly crossed her mind.  _Shed... buckets... tarp_... "Oh, no!" she murmured in horror as she hurriedly scooted back from her kitchen chair and rushed over to the backdoor, just in time to see her husband about to walk around the side of the barn.  "Will!" she called out as loudly as she could.  "Will, come back here!  I need you to do something for me!  Hurry!"

 

Her husband turned around and stared at her for a moment puzzled before, wiping his hands on his overalls, he began to trudge back toward the back of the farmhouse as Sarah frantically thought of something, anything, to stall him from going out to the shed.  She bit her lip as she looked around the kitchen.  What?  What could she tell him?  Will would be back in the kitchen any second.  Glancing around, she spied her favorite glass tea pitcher lying next to the kitchen sink.  Hurriedly closing the back door so he wouldn't hear her, she rushed over to the pitcher, and wincing at the predicted sound, she grabbed the glass handle and promptly flung it down onto the hardwood floor with all her might; the container promptly smashed into a million pieces, flying everywhere, as she gingerly walked around the mess as much as she could just in time to open the screen door back up before her husband noticed it had been closed.  Peering out, she sighed in relief as he came walking up the back cement walkway and gazed up at her curiously.  "What is it, Sarah?"

 

She did her best to look distressed - actually, that wasn't too far from the truth at the moment - as she informed him in a surprisingly calm tone of voice, "I just broke my favorite tea pitcher and there're shards of glass everywhere.  Can you go get the wet/dry vacuum from the basement and help me clean it up?  I can go make sure that Brian's getting what he needs from the shed while you do.  You know the vacuum is way too heavy for me to tote upstairs.  Please, Honey?"  She batted her blue eyes at him coquettishly, hoping that the trick she had successfully used when she was a lot younger was still effective now.

 

Will sighed.  He never could say no to this woman.  "I really need to make sure that Brian is doing what he says he was going to do; I don't completely trust him."

 

"Will, please," Sarah pleaded, putting on an Oscar-winning performance.  "I can't work around all this glass on the floor.  If you'll go get the vacuum and clean this up, I promise you that I will go make sure that Brian is doing his chores like he's supposed to be doing."  She placed her hand on the metal doorknob of the screen door as if to say the decision had already been made.

 

Her husband shook his head in resignation.  "Okay, Sarah.  But make sure he is not sloughing off.  You need those berries for the social tomorrow, and if you ask me, he's getting off light today."

 

She smiled at him gratefully.  "Thank you, Honey.  I'll go check on him now," she assured him.  "I'm sure everything's fine."  She held her breath until Will finally nodded in acquiescence and turned to walk down the hallway toward the door leading into the basement.  Biting her lower lip apprehensively, she quickly opened the back door and took off like a shot toward the left side of the barn, keeping studiously to the dirt path that led directly to the supply shed - and something else.

 

Her heart began to pound as she spied Brian near the back of the barn, directly in front of the tarp.  He was holding up a flap of the canvas and looking at the sulky, just as she had feared.  "Brian!" she cried out loudly, her voice ringed with panic as she came running up to him out of breath.

 

Brian dropped the flap as he turned around to look at her, puzzled by the almost desperate tone in his aunt's voice.  "What is it?  What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned as he reached to gently grasp her by her upper arms.  "Are you all right?"

 

Sarah tried hard to catch her breath before she told him, "Yes, I'm fine.  But the sulky... Brian, you need to stay away from it!  Please!"  She broke away from her nephew's grasp to tug on his right wrist to urge him back toward the shed.

 

"Aunt Sarah, I don't understand," Brian countered as he lightly resisted.  He peered over at the covered object in mystification.  "What's that doing here?  Why do you have a sulky?  And why is it just lying there neglected?"

 

Sarah licked her lips nervously as she continued to urge him back toward the shed.  "Please, Brian, I'll help you gather the berry buckets and some gloves.  Let's get back to the barn so you can hop on the tractor and get out to the bushes.  We need to go now!"

 

Brian frowned but allowed his aunt to lead him over to the shed; she only released her grip when at last they reached the two wooden doors and she undid the unhooked lock to swing the double doors open.  "Brian..." she pressed him as she looked at him almost desperately.  "Come on!"

 

"No," Brian told her as he stood his ground and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to enter the shed until she explained.  "I want to know what's going on to make you so scared."

 

Sarah sighed; there was no time.  "Brian, your uncle just got home.  He's in the house right now, but if he comes out here and sees you anywhere near that sulky, he will explode with anger!  Now let's get the buckets and go!"  She cursed herself for having thought about asking him to do this; if Will gave any thought as to where Brian was at the moment, he would be out here with fire in his eyes, even though Brian wasn't doing anything wrong.  She continued to tug frantically on his arm, trying to get him to move, knowing that time was of the essence.

 

No," Brian repeated, though, to her dismay; he felt like an outsider looking in as he stubbornly stood his ground and refused to budge.  "I want to know what the hell is going on first!  Why would he care about that old contraption over there?"

 

"Because," Sarah said, pain obvious in her eyes; she took a deep breath to steel herself as her voice softened in sorrow and she disclosed, "That's the sulky Dale was riding on when he was killed."

 

Brian's eyes grew large.  His cousin, Dale, was a sulky rider like Justin?  This was the first he had heard of that, as well as the first time anyone had even mentioned how his cousin had died.  "It is?" he asked as he glanced over at the tarp.  "How did it happen?"

 

She pursed her lips tightly together.  "It was an accident at the track," was the cryptic answer.  "Will had it towed back here and placed over there by the barn," she told him as she peered over at the tarp and shuddered slightly, recalling that horrible day.  "He found an old tarp inside the barn up in the loft area and had them cover it up.  Since then, he hasn't looked at it or even spoken about it.  But I know my husband; if he even so much as saw you anywhere near that sulky, he would lash out at you and explode.   So please, Brian - let's get the buckets now and get out of here!  He might come back here any minute!  Please!" she repeated desperately as she pulled on his right arm to try and get her nephew to obey her plaintive request.  She wasn't afraid of her husband - she knew he would never hurt her and he actually abhorred physical violence - but at the same time he and Brian had slowly been building up a relationship, and she feared that this would promptly put them back at Square One - or worse.  She couldn't afford to take that chance, not when Brian's presence was actually starting to have a positive effect on her husband, maybe even a healing effect.

 

Brian looked at the silent pleading in his aunt's eyes and finally nodded in agreement as he hurried behind her into the shed and she quickly located the four, tall, white plastic picking baskets.  Taking them from his aunt's hands, he watched as she located a pair of dark gray, thick, cloth work gloves and threw them into the top bucket.  "Let's so," she urged him as she quickly shut the two doors back and hooked the lock through the metal tab to close them back.  "Hurry!"

 

Brian nodded as they began to walk back toward the front of the barn.  They had just turned the corner when Will came out the door, dragging a cardboard box containing the remnants of Sarah's pitcher.  He glanced up as he noticed his wife and nephew carrying the berry buckets, eyeing them a little suspiciously but not seeing anything out of order.  "Brian," he said curtly with a nod.  "Everything okay?"

 

Brian cast a quick look over at his aunt before he replied with a slight smile, "Yeah, everything's fine; Aunt Sarah was just showing me where the buckets and gloves were.  If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go start up the tractor now.  When's lunch again, Aunt Sarah?"

 

Sarah smiled back at him in relief for his changing the subject as she handed him a couple of the buckets.  "If it's okay with your uncle, I think I'll push it back another hour.  How about one o'clock?  I'll ring the bell when it's ready."

 

Brian nodded as he turned to leave, stopping only as he heard his uncle warn him sternly, "Don't be late."  Brian stopped with his back to his uncle, glad for his aunt's sake that a possible blowup had been avoided  He turned around after a few seconds to quirk one side of his mouth up as he glanced over at his aunt to say, "I won't."  He paused for a moment longer before he added quietly, "Thanks, Aunt Sarah."

 

She nodded back at him as he turned to go, understanding perfectly what he was thanking her for, even though she thought she should be thanking HIM.  "Anytime."  She smiled over at her husband as she spoke up a little louder.  "Thanks, Will, for taking care of that.  Perfect timing."  _In more ways than one,_ she couldn't help thinking as she told him, "I'd best get back to fixing our lunch and my dishes for the social tomorrow night."

 

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek in gratitude before he nodded back at her and resumed carrying the box over to their garbage tote.  She and Brian cast one more meaningful, conspiratorial look at each other before he turned and headed into the barn to rev up the tractor and trailer.

 

Letting out a tense breath, Sarah started back toward the sidewalk, thankful that a possible catastrophe had been avoided.  She knew, though, that somehow the issue of Dale's death would have to be dealt with eventually, but for now she was thankful any potential confrontation between her husband and her nephew had been avoided.

 


	11. Heart to Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian finds some unique methods to get his neighbor's attention; the two boys have a heart-to-heart talk as Brian realizes the pressures that Justin is feeling.

_Fifteen Minutes Later_

Brian swung his long legs around and jumped down from the tractor, having actually enjoyed his brief ride on the piece of antique farm machinery.  It would certainly never be a speed machine by any means, but he had to admit - it was kind of nice sitting up high in the worn, black, leather seat as he bumped along through the pasture like the king of a mobile castle.  It hadn't been hard to figure out where the berry bushes were from his elevated vantage point - all he had to do was look toward the Taylor farm near the fence line and there they were.  The closer he got, the more he realized that there must be at least a hundred of them.  No wonder his aunt had given him four five-gallon buckets; he calculated he would need every available space to collect all of the ripened berries he could see growing in profusion from them as he approached them.

 

Turning the sputtering, chugging contraption off, there was one last belch of black smoke before he was greeted with immediate silence, the difference profound and stark.  Soon, however, he could hear another sound that broke through the peaceful quiet:  the faint but familiar clop, clop, clop of horses' hooves.  As he looked over toward the source of the sound, his heart started to pound in anticipation and he smiled over his good fortune.  It seemed that his companion from last night was at it again, almost like some non-stop movie running on a continuous reel.  Justin was perched in the Taylors' sulky, wearing some sort of geeky-looking, round goggles that hid the blue eyes that Brian knew so well by now, his golden, slightly shaggy hair blowing in the wind created by the speed of the horse pulling it in front, the sun angled above making the blond strands almost glow.  His face was a masterpiece of concentration, his oh-so-perfect lips pursed together as he held the horse's reins firmly in his hands and raced the horse smoothly along the track.  He was wearing a pair of tight blue jeans and some sort of V-necked, red tee-shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows that complimented his skin tone perfectly, and those same sneakers that Brian recognized from the other day when he had stolen his clothing at the swimming hole.

 

A grin broke out on his face; Lady Luck certainly seemed to be with him today!  Berry picking seemed extremely attractive all of a sudden.  Quickly unbuttoning his shirt, he opened the sides and quickly shrugged out of it to let it flutter to the ground as he picked up a bucket with the gloves and walked over toward the fence line, seeing Justin approaching closer and closer out of the corner of his eye.   He quickly walked over to the bush located closest to the fence line and, donning the thick work gloves, began to pluck some jumbo-sized blackberries from the plant as the sounds of the horses' hooves got closer and closer, making a studious attempt to show that he was ignoring him.  He kept his head down deliberately as he listened intently to the ever-increasing sounds of the horse, feeling like his heart was picking up speed as well.  It both excited as well as scared him to realize how this other boy made his body react, but it was still a heady sort of rush to experience it.

 

Justin was so concentrated on how well Headstrong was reacting to his subtle directives with the reins that he didn't initially notice he wasn't the only one out getting exercise; as he rounded the far corner of the dirt track, his eyes widened in shock and his heart began to thump as he recognized Brian bent over near their perimeter fence with his back to him.  Even without seeing his face, he would have known who it was anywhere; there was no mistaking that sculptured, long, lean body; the same body that had pressed up against him on their porch swing last night and made his own body go crazy with desire.  He swallowed hard as he realized that Brian was naked from the waist up; that immediately served to remind him of their encounter at the swimming hole as he closed his eyes briefly in remembrance.  "Oh, no," he murmured in dread, knowing this boy was definitely going to be an impediment to his concentration today, even though Brian apparently was deliberately trying to ignore him.  That had to be the case; there was no way that he couldn't hear him approaching with the horse.   Or was he trying to taunt him somehow since he had already informed him that he wasn't ‘good' enough for him?  Well, two could play that game, he decided, as he let out a breath and pressed his lips together tightly in determination as he neared where Brian stood.  He flapped the reins in a silent command for Headstrong to speed up and the horse grunted briefly and began to trot more quickly, the dirt now flying up all around his feet.

 

Brian smiled as he heard Justin getting closer and closer; there could be no way that he could avoid noticing him.  _Get a good look, Farm Boy; see what you're missing out on,_ he thought smugly.  He waited for the horse and sulky to slow down, but instead it sounded like the clopping noise just grew more rapid and frantic until he could hear it rushing by him.  Frowning, he slowly raised up and stole a glance behind his back as his mouth hung open in disbelief; Justin had passed by him without so much as a greeting or acknowledgement!  "What the fuck?" he growled as he watched the departing silhouette of horse and rider as it grew farther and farther away.  His mouth still hung open in shock over the other boy's audacity; he couldn't help the slight smile of grudging respect that appeared on his face.  He had to hand it to him - Justin had balls.  And he liked spunk - and something told him this little, fiery farm boy had a LOT of it; in more ways than one.  He grinned.  Maybe he would have to be a little more ‘direct' next time, and from the way Justin was rounding the corner of the track near the Taylors' stables, he was coming back around for another lap.

 

Putting his bucket down, he pulled off his gloves and walked the few steps over to the fence, skillfully hopping over it to land on the other side, right onto the dirt race track.  His smile widened as he saw Justin now on the opposite side of the track, the horse's hooves pounding furiously in rapid cadence as he began to head toward the nearest curve.  Now grinning ear-to-ear, he quickly walked a few more paces before he suddenly plopped down on the ground and promptly stretched his body lengthwise across the width of the track, placing his hands casually behind his head as he heard - and now felt- the rumble of horse's hooves and secretly prayed that Justin's skill was as masterful as he hoped.

 

Justin rounded the corner, purposefully trying to avoid even peering in Brian's direction for fear what he might be doing now.  Knowing the other boy, he could have his pants off by now as well as his shirt, just to get his attention.  He had to admit it, too; the shirt alone had made him practically salivate.  If Brian had doffed any _other_ piece of his clothing since the last lap, all he would have to do was flash that sexy smile at him and he would be truly fucked; principles be damned.

 

He was so busy peering over at the side of the fence to look for the other boy that at first he didn't even see what lay in front of him.  "Shit!" he cried out in shock as he began to desperately pull back on the reins with all his might.  "Whoa!  Headstrong!  Whoa!  Fuck!  Stop! Whoa!"  At that moment, he didn't know WHAT he was calling out.  He was merely shouting out anything that came into his head; anything that would stop this 1,000 lb. equine powerhouse from running over the idiotic boy currently stretched out across the dirt track like he was taking a Sunday nap.

 

Brian's heart began to pound in extreme anxiety as the rumble got louder and louder, feeling now like a freight train was approaching.  Had he been wrong about Justin's abilities?  Or was he going to wind up as the lead in the evening news cast:  _Human speed bump run over by one-thousand pound racehorse._ He hadn't stopped to think that he was literally betting on Justin's talent  with his very life as finally, over the sound of Justin's constant entreaties, the horse  began to slow down and eventually came to a stop, no more than two feet away from his head.  He could hear the horse whinny in dismay and frustration as his two front hooves briefly left the ground before he dared to crack open one eye to see the beast's head shaking angrily from side to side as it loomed over him.

 

The horse's ire, however, was nothing compared to what was about to burst forth as Justin let out a huge sigh of relief before he promptly hopped down from the sulky and stared furiously at his unexpected obstruction.

 

"What in the HELL do you think you were doing?" he erupted at Brian as he stood there, hands on hips and blue eyes flashing; Brian thought that Justin in all his indignant fury looked quite hot at the moment.  "Are you out of your fucking mind?  You could have gotten yourself KILLED!"  _That is, if I don't kill you first,_ came unbidden to his mind.  When he had seen Brian, his first reaction had been abject terror that he wouldn't be able to stop in time; now that he had, however, that initial feeling had quickly been replaced with much different emotions:  rage and disbelief.    "I can't believe you!" he added just for good measure as he shook his head.  "Well?" he pressed as Brian merely turned his head and looked up at him lazily.

 

He shrugged, which wasn't very easy to do while he was lying flat on his back.  "Just think of me as a speed bump.  You were going so fast around the track I was afraid that cute little ass might get wind burned."   Just for good effect, he bestowed a sexy sort of grin on his companion and lifted his brows in challenge.  "You owe me now."

 

Justin huffed in disbelief as he reached out to grab his horse's bridle to try and calm him down.  He instinctively reached up and stroked Headstrong's head soothingly as he said, "I owe you?  I owe you for nearly scaring me to death?  For almost causing me to have a heart attack?  How do you get _that_ , Brian?  You're fucking unbelievable, do you know that?"   As angry as Justin was, however, it was hard to concentrate on being infuriated when the other boy was eyeing him like some prize catch and staring up at him with that bare, bronzed, lightly sculptured, sweaty chest gleaming in the sunlight and those piercing hazel eyes that almost looked like they were boring right through him.  To his consternation, Brian merely grinned back at him.

 

"Do you know how fucking hot you look when you get angry?" he asked him unexpectedly as Justin promptly turned a deep shade of red.  "Come over here and give me some CPR to resuscitate me and I'll show you."

 

Justin sputtered indignantly, "I will do no such thing!"  Inside, however, his heart was skittering like a scared baby bird and his stomach contained more butterflies than a botany exhibit.   Instead, he told Brian, "In case you failed to notice, I was practicing for my race on Saturday, and now thanks to your antics you've put me behind schedule.  If my father finds out, too, he's going to be pissed."

 

Brian slowly propped his torso up by his elbows as he pulled himself to his feet, taking a moment to dust off the seat of his jeans with his hands.  He thought he saw Justin's gaze lower briefly to his crotch before he swiftly averted his eyes as Brian sauntered up to him until they were mere inches apart with an insufferable smirk on his face.  _Fuck, he is so beautiful when he's riled up_ , Brian couldn't help thinking.  Justin's eyes were wide and expressive, a darker-than-normal shade of blue as they stared back at him defiantly.  He lowered his voice as he drawled out huskily, "Come on, Justin.  You know neither your father nor my uncle can even see us way out here.  What are you afraid of?"

 

Justin huffed.  "I am _not_ afraid!" he growled.  He instinctively began to back away like a rabbit caught in a snare, only to be caught by Brian as he grabbed onto his upper arms like a steel vise.  "Let me go, you asshole!" Justin sputtered out as he began to struggle, albeit half-heartedly.  Brian responded by wrapping his arms around Justin's back to trap him flush against his chest, savoring the feeling of warmth and softness, but also surprising strength, under his touch.  It was an intriguing combination, which only inflamed his desire for this boy even more.

 

"You sure that's what you want, Justin?" he asked, his voice sounding like some molten, liquid fire.  "That's not what I'M hearing."

 

Plastered chest to chest, Justin's hands were trapped, palms down, against Brian's hard torso.  He could feel the slickened, hot skin beneath his splayed fingers and knew he was quickly losing control of the situation; all he wanted at that moment was to feel those warm, probing lips kissing him passionately again and Brian's hands roaming all over his body as he claimed him.  All he craved was to be totally and completely possessed by this boy.  What had happened to his pride and his dignity?  It was quickly failing him.  His sense of responsibility to his family was quickly being challenged by his heart, which was rapidly falling under this boy's spell if he didn't do something quick.

 

"Well, then you need to get your hearing checked," Justin retorted.   "I have to practice.  My family is counting on me to win on Saturday."

 

"But that's what I'm doing; helping you to practice.  They say practice makes perfect, and I'm about as perfect as they come."

 

Justin rolled his eyes at Brian's lack of humility, but he couldn't help thinking that _perfect_ certainly covered it where this boy was concerned.  No doubt about it; he was fucking gorgeous.  Arrogant as all get out, but still sexy as hell.  That didn't mean, though, that he was just going to fall at his feet, although kneeling down and worshipping a certain part of his anatomy did have its definite appeal.  _Fuck,_ he thought to himself as he felt himself growing hard over the thought; _get a hold of yourself, you idiot!_

He took a deep breath and prayed that when he spoke his voice would sound more confident than he currently felt.  "Well, despite your high opinion of yourself, Brian, I _told_ you.  I have to practice with Headstrong this morning, and I can't let him get stiff from lack of exercise.  So you'll just have to ‘practice' with someone else."

 

"What about ME?" Brian replied.  "I get stiff without _exercise,_ too."

 

Justin harrumphed.  "I would have thought it was the other way around," he quipped to Brian's amusement as he let out a laugh.  Despite his protestations from earlier, Justin couldn't help bestowing a half-hearted smile on the other boy in response as Brian grinned back at him.  His face sobered as he told his captor, "Now, let me go!  I really do have to get back to my workout," he told Brian almost in a regretful tone of voice now.

 

Brian shrugged, seemingly resigned to the inevitable.  "Suit yourself."  He held his hands out to his sides submissively as Justin breathed out a sigh of relief, glad that Brian was listening to reason for a change, but oddly disappointed that he had given up so easily.  He nodded as he half-turned to go just before Brian grabbed his upper right arm and slammed his body back against his; the force of it was so strong it almost knocked the breath out of him.

 

Brian locked gazes with his prey as he felt Justin's soft pants against his chest.  _You're as turned on by this as I am._ "On the other hand, maybe I should show you what you'll be missing first."

 

Justin didn't have the proper time to react before Brian captured the back of his neck with his free hand and promptly crushed their lips together; a moan involuntarily escaped Justin's lips, providing Brian with just enough room to press his tongue inside for another tantalizing taste of that mouth he had been craving since last night's little rendezvous as he slid his other hand around Justin's waist to pull him impossibly closer.   To his delight, he found that it was even more intoxicating than their last kiss under the moonlight _.  Fuck, this boy is talented_ , he couldn't help thinking, as Justin's lips glided expertly over his own and his felt him nipping at his lower lip while they kissed, making his body come alive under his ministrations like no other boy had done before.

 

Justin found himself melting into Brian's embrace despite his misgivings as to the other boy's motives, quickly losing himself in that expertly-given kiss.  At that moment in time, all he could think about was Brian's lips, his hands, his body molded against his, his hardness pressing against him demonstrating his desire for him; nothing else mattered - no worries, no other thoughts but how amazingly alive Brian was making him feel, like he was the most special guy in the world.  He was lost in a haze of lust until he felt Headstrong's nose nudging him from behind and reality came crashing back down into his world.   _Nothing's changed since last night_ , he had to sadly remind himself, as he placed his hands face down on Brian's chest and shoved just hard enough to gain a little space so he could peer into Brian's surprised eyes.

 

"Why did you do that?" Brian growled, his own breathing ragged and uneven; he was just beginning to thoroughly enjoy himself when Justin unexpectedly separated them.  He was getting just a little tired of being all primed up and then being shot down again.

 

"Nothing's changed since last night, Brian," Justin told him quietly, voicing his concerns aloud.   "You can't just go around accosting people like this."

 

Brian snorted.  "Accosting people?  I hardly think that kiss was one-sided, Farm Boy."  He smirked; there was no mistaking that Justin was enjoying himself just as much as he was.  _Two could play this game, though_..."Your loss," he replied, trying to sound indifferent.

 

Justin huffed.  "Maybe," he conceded curtly, perturbed by the other boy's nerve and his ability to apparently see right through him.  "But I'll take my chances with the _other_ ass."  Yanking his arm away from Brian's grasp, he could hear the other boy's surprising laughter as he walked back over to Headstrong, feeling his face warm in mortification.  He was just about to hop back up on the sulky, his hands gripping the rein, as he unexpectedly heard Brian ask from behind him, "Justin, how did my cousin die?"

 

Justin stood there, stock still.  He slowly turned around after a moment to ask, "What did you say?"

 

Brian gazed at him, no hint of sarcasm or bluster in his demeanor now as he quietly repeated, "I said, what happened with Dale?"

 

Justin could hear Headstrong softly chuffing, his not-so-subtle signal that he was getting restless.  He knew he had to get going soon, or his practice would be completely thrown off balance.  If his father got wind that he was not doing what he should be doing, he would be pissed.  But there was something about the earnest seriousness on Brian's face that made him ask, "Why are you asking ME, Brian?  That's something your aunt and uncle should tell you; that is, if they want you to know."  Again, Headstrong neighed impatiently as Justin reached up and slowly stroked his neck to reassure him.  "Shh... We'll get going soon," he softly promised the horse.  His gaze turned to the other boy as he told him urgently, "Brian, I really need to go."

 

"Justin, please," was the surprising, almost plaintive response.  "My aunt has only told me bits and pieces about it, and my uncle, he'd just as soon pluck my eyes out than confide in me."

 

"He's not that bad," Justin responded in an attempt to defend him.  "At least he didn't use to be."  He bit his lip thoughtfully.  "He's a decent guy.  I mean, he's never been overly friendly toward anyone, but he was never like this before.   He actually used to have a dry sense of humor.  He was always playing practical jokes on me and Jared when we were younger.  But that was before..."

 

"... Before Dale died."

 

Justin nodded.

 

"Then tell me the fuck what happened so I can understand!" Brian pressed, aggravated that everyone was tiptoeing around it.  "I found his sulky out behind the barn earlier today."

 

Justin's eyes widened over that revelation.  "They still have it?  I thought they got rid of it right after the accident."

 

Brian shook his head.  "No, they still have it, all right.  I found it out behind their barn covered with a tarp earlier today, and my aunt told me it belonged to my cousin."

 

"Then you need to ask HER what happened, Brian."

 

Brian shook his head.  "I tried that; all she told me was something happened at the track."  He eyed Justin intently.  "So he was a harness racing jockey like you are now?"

 

Justin brushed his hand through his hair in indecision, still feeling somewhat uncomfortable talking about something so private.  "I really wish you would talk to your aunt and uncle about this, Brian."

 

"I tried, Justin, I told you!" he reiterated in irritation.  He sighed; he wasn't mad at Justin, but the whole matter was quickly making him frustrated as hell.  "If I'm ever going to get along better with either one of them, especially my uncle, I need to know.  Why is it such a fucking secret?  Just tell me!"

 

Justin bit his lip in thought, torn between needing to get back to work but silently agreeing with Brian.  Dale's death had certainly had a profound impact on both the Walkers, but especially his uncle. Perhaps Brian could actually help them to move on from that terrible incident. Although it really wasn't his place to explain, hadn't there been enough secrecy already?  A decision finally made, he reached back and again lightly stroked Headstrong's neck with his knuckles to reassure him.

 

"I... I can't tell you, not right now," he replied, quickly adding as he watched Brian open his mouth to protest, "I have to get back to work or Headstrong won't be worth shit soon."   He sighed; the words came out of his mouth before he had time to consider how dangerous it might be.  "I can maybe meet you later on so we can talk about it then."  He emphasized the word _talk_ , silently warning Brian he wouldn't keep putting up with the type of shenanigans he had attempted last night, although he wondered how truthful he was being with himself about that.  Brian's kiss last night and just now had been the most wondrous thing he had ever experienced, and yes, damn it, he wanted one again and again and again.  He wasn't going to let HIM know that, though.

 

Brian smiled.  _Oh, we'll ‘talk' all right_.  "Okay, I guess that will have to do.  Where and when?" he pressed, secretly delighted as he eagerly anticipated their next rendezvous.

 

Justin turned to climb back up on the sulky, momentarily giving Brian a wondrous view of Justin's best body part as the denim stretched tautly across his rounded ass; he swallowed hard at the magnificent sight, wondering how it would be to taste it as Justin plopped down on the seat and turned to face him, providing him with just enough time to put his neutral game face back on.

 

Justin pondered the answer to that; why was he even agreeing to it in the first place?  He had just endured a sleepless night last night because of this boy and now he was agreeing to meet up with him again?  Shit, what was _wrong_ with him?  Had he lost his fucking mind?  Maybe he could still back out of it... "Uh... Well..."  _Smooth, Taylor_ , he chided himself.

 

"Time?"  Brian reminded him, tapping his finger at an imaginary watch on his left arm.  "It's a simple enough question; I've got berries to pick and you've got some riding to do."  _On my cock_ , he couldn't help finishing silently, feeling himself becoming aroused just thinking about Justin doing exactly that while he dug into those two fleshy globes and held on for dear life as he rode him.  He knew that ass would be a wonder to behold; at least once he got that offending garment off him anyway.  _Fuck,_ he chided himself, feeling distinctively uncomfortable in his pants at the mere notion.

 

Justin huffed at his impatience.  "You're lucky I'm agreeing to meet with you at all, Brian!  Do you know I hardly got any sleep last night because of you?"  _Shit!  Did I just say that?  
_

"Oh?" Brian asked, arching one elegant eyebrow at him as Headstrong's head swung impatiently back and forth; even without being an equestrian expert - hell, knowing horses at all - he could tell that the animal was raring to get moving again.  "And why is that, Justin?" he asked innocently, pressing his tongue into his cheek.  "I slept like a baby."  _Yeah, right, Kinney.  You didn't get any more sleep than he probably did, and for the same reason..._

Justin's eyes flashed as he took the reins to remove the slack.  "Because you... You kept me _up_!"

 

Brian's lips slowly spread out into a full-fledged grin.  "Oh, I did, did I?  I kept you _up_?"  His eyes flickered down his body as Justin promptly broke out into a blush of embarrassment at the double entendre.  "I'm flattered but not surprised," he quipped.  "Maybe I can help you out with that later."

 

"Oh, just forget it!" Justin growled in disgust as he flipped the reins in a flapping motion to signal to Headstrong that he was ready to go.  Headstrong promptly began to kick up his feet and propel the sulky down the dirt track.   "Never mind!" he yelled as they quickly began to disappear from sight.

 

Brian laughed as Justin picked up speed, the rapid clop, clop, clop of Headstrong's hooves smacking against the packed dirt as they proceeded faster and faster down the track.  He wasn't really worried about Justin's response, though; that was the wondrous thing about circles - they kept going and going in the same direction, over and over again.  He wasn't about to try to lie down in front of that beast again, but that didn't mean he couldn't continue to taunt his prey from the sidelines as he performed his own task.  Walking back over to the first empty bucket, he slid his gloves back on and began to pick some of the blackberries, keeping an ever vigilant eye on the other boy.

 

Justin watched warily as he rounded the corner a few minutes later, noticing Brian still engaged in his chore near the fence; at least this time he seemed to actually be working.  That was an improvement from his speed bump impersonation earlier.  He worked diligently on keeping his eyes on the track ahead of him, pretending he didn't give a shit WHAT Brian was doing, but as he turned the corner his gaze fell directly on the sexy boy still clad in nothing but his tight jeans and his boots and it made him practically drool over the sight; Brian had beads of sweat on his back that were glistening in the sunlight overhead and his hair was wet with his efforts, making him look even more astounding.  _Damn him_.  He looked away, but it was no use; besides, it wasn't as if he were invisible to Brian, either.

 

"I'm still waiting!" he heard Brian call out as he sped by, not saying a word but feeling his face warming under the other boy's scrutiny.  "I'm not going to give up until you talk to me!" he heard Brian add as an afterthought.

 

Justin rolled his eyes, thinking for someone who had bragged last night that he could go out and find a ready replacement for him he sure was being persistent.  Could he hope that meant that he was genuinely interested in him, though, or merely being driven by the thrill of the hunt and his libido?  And how was he ever going to know for sure one way or the other?  He still couldn't quite figure out how to read this other boy.  One minute he was cocky as hell, the next he seemed almost unsure of himself or even vulnerable.  At that moment, he was glad that Headstrong was more or less trotting around on ‘autopilot,' because he couldn't concentrate for shit on anything else but Brian.

 

Justin didn't know if he was disappointed or relieved when he and Headstrong jogged by Brian several more times seemingly ignored; he had expected at least some type of reaction after the boy's last comment each time he passed him, but to his secret dismay, Brian kept silently to his own task and continued to stay bent over picking berries and dropping them into a nearby five-gallon bucket.  Naturally, though, he still had to taunt him with his ass and his back to him; heaven forbid if he should turn around and pick berries from the OTHER side.  _Well, so much for his ‘I'm not going to give up until you talk to me' speech_ , he thought, realizing he felt a distinct sense of regret over that fact.

 

The bucket he was using quickly filling up with plump, juicy berries, Brian watched out of the corner of his eye as Justin continued to exercise his horse, calculating all too well when the duo would be trotting by again.  As Justin came closer and closer, he chose his ammunition carefully, plucking several particularly large specimens from the bucket.

 

Waiting until the last minute, he stood up just as Justin went rushing by, taking aim and landing one of the fat, juicy berries right on his back with perfect precision.  _Thanks, Coach_ , he thought silently to himself with a grin, grateful now that his high school baseball coach had made him practice his pitching skills over and over again when he was a few years younger.

 

* * *

 

Stealing furtive, admiring glances at Brian's tanned, lightly-muscled back, Justin sighed sorrowfully, wondering if he had done the right thing pushing the other boy away; that is until he felt something hit him squarely in the back.  He quickly twisted around in an effort to see what it was, only to be hit again this time in the face with a distinctive splat.

 

"What the fuck?" he snapped as he felt liquid running down his cheek.   Was he bleeding?  He reached up to wipe it away with his left hand as he held onto the reins with his other; placing his fingers in his mouth, he instantly recognized it as the remnants of a now-obliterated blackberry.  There could be no mistaking where it had come from, either.  "Whoa!" he yelled out in disgust.  "Whoa, Headstrong!"

 

For the second time in less than an hour, Justin pulled up on the reins and Headstrong slowly began to heed his command as he grudgingly decreased his speed and finally stopped, none too happy that his exercise had once more been thwarted.  This was so unlike his master to do this to him, and he was not pleased to have his workout interrupted.  He wasn't the only peeved at the moment, however, as he scraped the hard, dirt track with his front paws in agitation and chuffed in protest, shaking his head from side to side as he stood there in disappointment.

 

Justin jumped down from the sulky and, turning to notice Brian once more bent over the blackberry bushes, he took a moment to pull the goggles over his head and throw them onto the ground before he stomped over toward the perimeter several feet away, letting out a huff of anger as he walked up to his side of the fence and growled, "Why did you do that?"

 

Brian rose up from his bent-over position and turned around as if in surprise to reply, "Do what?  I'm just minding my own business here; isn't that what you wanted?"

 

Justin's mouth hung open in response to his audacity.  "You KNOW what!  You... You hit me!"

 

Brian arched his eyebrows, finding it hard to remain solemn in the face of the purplish smears that remained on Justin's cheek and the petulant expression he was wearing; he would never voice it aloud, but he thought Justin looked positively exquisite at the moment, all puffed up like some indignant peacock.  "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," he told him, knowing that was totally unbelievable but enjoying it just the same.

 

"Bullshit!" Justin yelled as he turned around to display a purple rendition of a Rorschach blotch right in the middle of his shirt.  "Look at this!" he told him, twisting his head around but unable to actually see it; he could certainly imagine what it looked like, though, enough to know that his mother - and even worse, his father - would be wondering how he managed to get a blackberry stain right smack dab in the middle of the back of his shirt.  He could just hear himself now:  "I was just riding along minding my own business when all of a sudden this blackberry fell off one of the nearby bushes and somehow sailed over and landed right in the middle of my shirt."  _Yeah, right..._

 

As he turned back around, he realized that the back of his shirt wasn't the _only_ part of his anatomy that he was displaying to the other boy, and from the lowered gaze on Brian's face it was obvious he was taking advantage of appreciating it, also; Justin's face warmed in reaction and he pursed his lips together in irritation as he met Brian's gaze and the other boy actually had the gall to smirk at him.  It was obvious that Brian was enjoying his discomfiture way too much as he pointed out, "And this other blackberry just didn't happen to smack me in the face when it fell out of the sky!  Why did you DO that, Brian?  How am I going to explain that stain to my mother when she does the laundry?  What IS it about you and my clothes that you can't leave them the fuck alone?"

 

_Maybe because you normally have too many of them on,_ came to mind as Brian gazed into his companion's eyes that were full of fire and indignation.  Damn, this boy was just too fucking irresistible when he was all hot and bothered!  His eyes slowly drifted downward to take in the whole, glorious package of Justin Taylor in full drama-princess mode from his head to his chest to the, ahem, noticeable bulge in his jeans to his slim legs and down to his feet and then back up again, noticing his companion's face reddening as he slowly lifted his gaze back up to lock onto his.  _Oh, this was too much fun_! He decided as he continued to stand there as if he were mute, raising his eyebrows innocently as Justin glared back at him.

 

Justin placed his hands on his hips impatiently as Headstrong whinnied in displeasure at being interrupted once again.  "Well?"

 

Brian shrugged as he finally explained, "You're a country boy; you live on a farm and work with messy, dirty, smelly animals every day, all day long.   She should expect it.  What's the big deal?  Just shout it out!  _Come out, come out wherever you are, spot_!" he commanded before he chuckled at his own joke, feeling like a rural version of Lady McBeth all of a sudden.

 

Justin shook his head in exasperation before he sighed heavily, not finding Brian very funny at all at the moment.  "You just don't understand, Brian.  We don't live in the lap of luxury out here!  Everything you do has a price; my grandfather who used to own this farm before us always said that the only thing that's free out here is the fresh air.  Until I got older I didn't know just how right he actually was."  He still missed his grandfather terribly; his mother always told him he reminded him of her father, and now that he was gone he fondly recalled all the things they had done together when he was younger - going fishing while his grandfather taught him how to skip rocks across the water, playing catch with him, even learning how to ride his first bicycle and later his first horse.  It was through his grandfather - and with Vic's guidance later - that he had developed such a keen affinity with the horses to begin with, and every time he won a race he silently thanked his grandfather's love and support for that.  How he longed for the same type of support from his own father!  But he had long ago given up on that dream.

 

Brian frowned at how serious Justin was being; this was a far cry from the other day at the swimming hole when he had been tricked and found himself mesmerized by Justin's twinkling eyes and his mischievous spirit.  "It was a joke, Justin!" He told the other boy.   "Shit!  Where did your sense of humor go?  Lighten up a little!  Jeez!  What happened to you?  Are you 17 going on 37?"

 

Justin's face reddened in embarrassment over the stinging criticism; suddenly it was like a balloon had deflated as he promptly plopped down onto the ground like he had been shot, sitting Indian style, his legs bent as his arms flopped down by his sides.  He idly ran one index finger through the dirt as Brian silently scaled the fence in one easy motion and flopped down beside him to sit the same way.

 

"Justin, I can't believe you're this worked up over a blackberry stain," Brian told him quietly after a moment's pause.  "What's _really_ bothering you?"   He noticed Justin kept his eyes cast downward as he spoke almost as if he hadn't heard him; taking a chance that he wouldn't get smacked silly, Brian reached over and placed his right hand under Justin's chin to get his attention and gently but firmly raised it to force him to look him in the eyes.  "Justin?"  The gaze he received was much too serious for his liking.  "Cut out the bullshit and just tell me."

 

Justin sighed again as Brian dropped his hold and impulsively reached over to link their hands together; he was heartened to feel Justin tightly returning his grasp in response, marveling at the feel of his hand in his, almost like it was made just for him, as he waited for an answer.  It was several seconds before he was rewarded with a response.

 

"It's... It's just that all this pressure sometimes gets to me," Justin admitted softly.

 

"Pressure?  You mean about the racing?"

 

Justin breathed in a deep breath and let it out to try and calm his nerves; of course, having Brian sitting next to him, holding his hand, didn't help his nerves much, but it was a different sort of tension, a _good_ type of tension, one that was much different than the other kind.  "That's part of it," he told him as Brian's thumb began to idly stroke the top of his hand back and forth, setting off a tingling in his entire body.  He tried hard to concentrate as he told him, "Our farm wasn't doing much better than the Walkers' is doing now; not until I started racing a few years ago, anyway."  He lifted his head to look out onto the newly tilled soil of their farm, acres and acres of it that would eventually (if the weather cooperated) yield soybean and corn crops.  "Every year it seemed like we were running into something going wrong; either we had a drought and it didn't rain enough, or it rained so much we couldn't get the crops planted on time.  And one year our combine broke and it cost thousands of dollars to fix it."  He huffed.  "Of course, each year my father always found enough money so Jared could play his sports, even though with the school levy failing three straight years in a row, the cost to play athletics was hundreds of dollars once you paid the participation fee and the uniform costs."

 

"Yeah, I know how that is," Brian responded.  "My father about shit a brick a few years back when he had to shell out hundreds of dollars for me to play soccer and baseball.  It got me out of his hair, though, and at the time the coach thought I might actually wind up with a full scholarship, so I think my old man thought I might get a free ride to college."  He huffed out a cross between a laugh and a snort.  "When I got busted for speeding so many times, though, and was caught with pot in the gym after school one day, suddenly I didn't seem quite so marketable."

 

Justin turned his head to look into Brian's eyes.  "Why would you do that?  I mean, when you had something that big riding on it?"

 

Brian smiled a little self-deprecatingly as he answered honestly, "Because I was young and stupid, I guess.  I never _could_ go the speed limit; I always had this ‘ _need for speed.'_   Well, at least the driving kind of speed anyway; I always stayed away from the hard drugs."  He got a small smile in return this time as he shrugged and his face sobered.  "When you're young you never really think about the consequences of what you do - you think that's for the old folks - your parents - not you."  He peered into Justin's eyes, so large and expressive; it was as if everything he needed to know was contained in those eyes.  He almost felt like he was being sucked into a swirling vortex of blue, never to come back out, but surprisingly he wasn't really scared about it or apprehensive.  It actually felt sort of exhilarating in a way.  "At least that's the way it's _supposed_ to work; I think someone forgot to give you the proper manual, though, because you are WAY too serious for someone your age and have way too much responsibility on your shoulders.  So you're telling me you got into racing because of this misguided sense of responsibility that you had to win to keep the farm solvent?"

 

Justin nodded.  "Well, where else was the money going to come from?  My grandfather deeded the farm to my mother when he died, right after she married my dad.  By law it became both of theirs.  My father tried to do some accounting when he got out of college, but from what my mother told me he only got average grades in school and no one wanted to hire a mediocre CPA.  My dad really didn't know anything about being a farmer when my grandfather died, but he had to learn on the fly once it became apparent that he didn't have any other way to make a living.  My mom doesn't talk a lot about it, but I don't think we were ever what you would call too well-off financially-speaking, but the past few years would have been down-right terrible if I hadn't started winning so many races with Headstrong."  Brian squeezed his hand in silent encouragement for him to continue as he finally expressed what was really bothering him.  "Now I don't know what's going to happen next year."

 

Brian frowned as he cocked his head to look into Justin's troubled face.  "What's happening next year?"

 

"I'll be graduating from high school and hopefully going to college."

 

Brian felt an odd sense of disappointment over that statement; why should he care, though?  He wouldn't be around either way.  "College?"

 

Justin nodded, a small smile appearing on his face at the thought of being able to fulfill his dream.  "That's partly why I got into horse racing to begin with; at least, working with horses anyway.  I want to go to Vanderbilt in Nashville and get a degree in equestrian therapy."

 

"Equestrian therapy? They actually have a degree in that?"  Brian watched as Justin's smile got larger and his face transformed into one of enthusiasm.

 

"Yeah," he confirmed as his eyes lit up at the thought.  "And I want to learn how to combine that with my love of art to help heal children.  Working out with horses can be very therapeutic for children who have suffered either physical or emotional trauma.  And art can also be very effective in allowing them to express their emotions:  fear, anger, sadness, rejection, loss.  I can't think of a more fulfilling occupation than being able to literally transform a young person's life from one of hopelessness and despair to one of optimism and hope for the future instead."

 

Brian looked at Justin in amazement as he spoke; it was like a light had suddenly flickered on into full brilliance while he talked about his dreams and ambitions.  The worry and anxiety that had been clearly written all over his face and heard in his voice before was gone, replaced by excitement and anticipation.  It was obvious that Justin's idea wasn't just some goal to be reached in school so he would have a fancy-looking document to display on a wall later; it was a burning passion for him.  If he had thought that Justin was beautiful before when he had been all worked up over his attempts to get his attention, he was ever more spectacular right now as he talked about his future, and he found himself completely and utterly enthralled.  He also knew at that moment that there was no way that Justin would be happy relegated to staying here on a farm out of some jaded sense of responsibility to support his family.  "That really means a lot to you, doesn't it?" he asked softly as he continued to lightly stroke the other boy's hand.

 

Justin nodded, swallowing at the hard lump that abruptly formed in his throat.  He was so torn - torn between chasing his dream and needing to make sure the family farm would survive.  He knew how much this home meant to his mother especially.  There was no way that he could let her down and see the land and home she cherished be pulled out from under her.  But how could he ever hope to fulfill his own hopes and dreams if he was forever tied down here?  There was _nothing_ here for him - farming was a noble profession, but it wasn't _his_ profession.  He knew in his heart that he wasn't meant to till the soil or raise livestock.  He wasn't even born to race horses, even though he did love working with them.  He STILL intended to work alongside them, too, just not for profit.  His heart lay in another path.  Would he get his wish, though?

 

"Yes, it means the world to me," he admitted, not sure why he was telling Brian this, but somehow it felt right; it felt comfortable.

 

Brian nodded, watching as Justin's ebullient expression quickly turned into something decidedly more morose.  He squeezed Justin's hand and released it before he replied simply, "Well, then, that's what you need to do.  End of story."

 

Justin huffed out a type of derisive snort.  "I wish it were that easy.  I just told you..."

 

"I KNOW what you just said," Brian said softly.  "But you can't spend your life being the financial standard bearer for your family, Justin.  What about YOUR life?  YOUR dreams?  Wanting to take care of your family is very admirable, but don't allow their troubles to drown your own aspirations.  And besides, aren't you forgetting an older brother here?  What is HIS sorry ass doing to help support your family?"

 

Justin rolled his eyes at the thought of his brother as Brian declared, "It's time that HE take some action to help out; since I've been here all I've seen from him is nothing but narcissism and self-indulgence.  And believe me, I'm very familiar with both; I'm normally the master at that."  Oddly enough, though, since he had come here and gotten to know his aunt better, especially, his needs had slowly been pushed aside and replaced by a desire to help both her and yes, even his uncle.  Perhaps he _could_ understand, then, why Justin felt the way that he did, but that still didn't make it right that he had to give up his own dreams for his family's benefit.

 

"Jared's about as useless as packing peanuts," Justin growled.  "No, I take that back; even packing peanuts have their purpose.  Ever since he got out of school, Jared's only goal in life has been to either constantly harass me or work all day on his latest muscle car."  He let out a deep breath.  "The only time he has to be made to do _anything_ is the week before my races; then Dad has to practically threaten him to within an inch of his life to get him to do my chores.  Of course, the only reason why our father does that in the first place is because he can smell money on the horizon, and he knows those purses can either make or break us for the season if I don't compete."

 

Brian shook his head.  "Justin, that is totally fucked!  You're seventeen, for God's sake!  That should be your _father and mother's responsibility,_ not yours!  When do you have any fun?"

 

Justin shrugged.  "You saw me at the swimming hole the other day," he pointed out.

 

Brian smirked as he replied, "I sure did - and it was a sight to behold."  Even now he couldn't get that image of Justin floating on that water out of his mind, nor how he had stood up to him; his estimation of this boy rose dramatically after that, and each time he was with him and he stood up for himself it just seemed to get higher and higher.  He watched now as Justin blushed at the husky tone in his voice.   _You really are beautiful in so many ways_ , he couldn't help thinking, but he wasn't about to express that aloud and give this younger boy the power he would derive from that knowledge.

 

Justin felt his face warm at the sexy tone of Brian's voice; even if he was woefully inexperienced, there could be no mistaking what he meant by that.  "Well, I was relaxing then," he explained.

 

"Uh, huh," Brian responded doubtfully.  "And when was the last time before that when you weren't actually working around the farm or practicing for another race?  When do they occur, anyway?"

 

"About twice a month," Justin told him, "at least during most of the year."

 

Brian nodded.  "Okay, so you work out for a week before each race, and in between time you're taking care of the horses' grooming and doing chores around the farm."  Justin averted his gaze downward as he picked up a stick lying nearby and began to trace geometric designs into the dirt, knowing where their conversation was leading.  "That must give you a LOT of time to have fun, then."

 

"I do what I have to do, Brian; life's not always fair, is it?" he replied curtly as he lifted his gaze to look into Brian's eyes, eyes that seemed to see straight through him.  He sighed heavily in resignation, a mournful sort of sigh as he began to push himself off the ground to stand up, but Brian quickly reached over and grabbed his upper arm to stop him.  "Brian, I have to go back to my practicing - not only will the horse get stiffened up from lack of a workout, but if my Dad sees me out here goofing off talking to you instead of working, he'll give me hell for it.  Trust me, it's not worth it to get him ticked off."

 

"No," Brian agreed quietly as he gazed intently into Justin's eyes.  "We can't have our little meal ticket just sloughing off, now can we?"

 

Justin's eyes flashed.  "I told you, Brian!  You don't understand!  Try living out here in the country for a while and then maybe you would!"  He rose to leave now, pulling his arm out of Brian's grasp as he stood there, glaring down at him.  How could this boy make his emotions jump all over the place?  One minute he was sitting there savoring the touch of his hand in his, and the next minute he's driving him crazy with exasperation and aggravation.   "Now I have to go; just go back to your berry picking and leave me alone!"

 

"Justin..."  _Am I hitting too close to home here, Farm Boy?_ he wondered as he quickly stood up.

 

"No, Brian!  I don't want to hear any more!  Fuck, don't you think I already know all this?  It's not that easy to change things!  I've tried; believe me!"  _Damn it_.  He silently cursed himself when he felt tears stinging his eyes.  He was NOT going to look like some prissy little kid in front of this older boy.  He turned around to walk the few steps back to Headstrong, who began to chuff excitedly as Justin picked the reins back up; he knew that meant they would be moving again very soon.  As he nimbly climbed back onto the seat, he heard Brian call out his name again; he was startled to hear him talking now from inches away.  He twisted around to see Brian standing just behind him, holding his previously-discarded goggles out toward him.  Justin blinked, finding to his dismay a few teardrops escaping and trickling down his cheeks.

 

Embarrassed, he reached up with his free hand to begin to wipe them away, but before he could Brian reached over and brushed the wetness from his face with surprising gentleness.

 

Still holding the goggles in his left hand, Brian took his right hand and cupped the back of Justin's neck as the blue, glimmering eyes bored into his.  There was no hint of either mockery or ridicule in his voice as he softly told him, "Justin, there has to be a way of helping your family and still fulfilling your dreams; don't let them take them away from you.  In the end, the only one who can really do that is YOU.  If you let that happen, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

 

Justin blew out a tense, deep breath between partly-opened lips and finally nodded, realizing the simple truth in Brian's words.   He was still at a loss as to how to follow his advice, but Brian's warm hand and reassuring touch on his skin made him feel not quite as hopeless or pessimistic.

 

"Just think about what I said, okay?"  Brian gazed intently into his eyes, feeling profound sympathy from the pain he could see staring back at him.  He silently resolved that if the situation presented itself, whether it was his business or not, he would have a talk with Craig Taylor himself and give him a piece of his own mind, his mother and father's threats be damned.  Sometimes you just had to stand up for what was right, and this was an egregious wrong.  And Jared?  He'd better not come anywhere NEAR him if he didn't want his sorry ass kicked all the way from here to Arkansas.

 

As he continued to stare into the deep pools of blue gazing up at him, he had this fervent desire to kiss away all of Justin's troubles, but he knew that wouldn't solve the dilemma that he was experiencing.  With great reluctance, then, he let go of Justin's neck, pausing for a moment to skim his knuckles lightly over the side of his neck and receiving a slight tremble in response; it was an optimistic sign, a hopeful sign and an indication that his desire was being returned.  He also knew it wouldn't be long before he had to explore much more with this intriguing boy but now was unfortunately not the right time.

 

"Justin?"  A sudden, incomplete task abruptly rose to the surface as he dropped his hands to his sides.

 

Headstrong began to shuffle impatiently back and forth when his rider didn't give him the short jerk on the reins to signal they were on the move again.  Justin sighed.  "Brian..."

 

"I know, I know - I have to get back to my chores myself.  But I still need to know, Justin... about Dale... I need to know what happened to him, everything.  Until I do, I'm always going to feel like some stranger peeking in from the outside where my aunt and uncle are concerned."  He surprised himself just then when he admitted, "I want to help them, Justin.  Damn, even my uncle and not just my Aunt Sarah.  But they keep tiptoeing around his death.  What the fuck happened to him at that track?"

 

Headstrong whinnied louder just then, reminding Justin that as much as he might want to help Brian, it couldn't be now.  "I promise that I'll tell you what I know," he told him.  "But it will have to be later."

 

"When?" Brian pressed, deciding that having an excuse to meet up with Justin again later wasn't necessarily a bad thing; it would actually serve two purposes.  Not only would he finally get some answers about his cousin's death, but he would get to spend some more time alone with him.

 

Justin bit his lip; it wasn't as if he had a lot of spare time.  "I... I don't know," he answered honestly.  He knew from previous experience that until the race was over his life wouldn't be his own.  If he were truthful with himself, though, his life hadn't been his own for a long time now.  Brian was right; he _had_ to find a way to change that.

 

"Justin..." the voice was ringed with exasperation; hadn't they been through this before?  Brian decided he would just have to take the cow, bull, whatever the fuck by the horns.  "Tomorrow night."   He hated having to wait that long to not only get answers to his questions but also see Justin again, but he knew the boy was going to be extremely busy and it made perfect sense to meet up again then when they would both be together anyway.

 

Justin frowned at the cryptic statement.  "Tomorrow night?"

 

Brian huffed.  "Yeah, tomorrow night.  You know, the hog calling of all hog calling events?  An event more thrilling than cow chip throwing?  Do you actually do that, by the way?"  He didn't give Justin a chance to answer before he added with disdain, "Why do you think Aunt Sarah's got me out here picking all these fucking berries?  She had me feeling up chicken asses earlier for eggs."  He shuddered.  "I'll never think of _getting laid_ the same way again."

 

Justin's face warmed quickly at the thought of being Brian's recipient of that particular activity as his eyes grew large in surprise.  "You're actually going to the town social tomorrow night?"  He never in a million years would have expected someone like Brian to agree to go to that sort of small-town, hokey event; Jared, in fact, continues to grouse about it each year when it comes up, and each year their mother manages to apply just the right amount of guilty pressure to make both of them go.  Justin himself thought it was boring as hell, but suddenly the thought of Brian being there made it much more palatable.

 

Brian shrugged, suddenly hedging a little; it definitely wouldn't be smart to indicate to Justin that he was going merely because he had learned he would be there, too, so he chose to explain it in a different way.  "My aunt asked me to go, and since there doesn't seem to be much _else_ to do in this hick town, I decided what the hell."

 

Justin nodded, glancing over toward the stables a little apprehensively to make sure they weren't being watched.  Brian was right - they couldn't be seen over at the house, but if his father decided to come snooping around the stables, it wouldn't be difficult at all to see him out on the track - not practicing like he was supposed to, but sitting there  - what was the word?  Flirting?  Well, maybe not quite that, but he was still, in his father's eyes, not doing what he was supposed to be doing.  That seemed to be the story of his life, though.  He sighed softly as he looked over at Brian almost apologetically, hating to leave.  Yes, Brian could be extremely vexing, puzzling, and even annoying at times, but he still found himself distinctly drawn to him for his honesty and his forthrightness.  And despite what his reputation had been prior to his coming here, he was finding that Brian could also be gentle and caring, not to mention sexy as hell; a dangerous combination, he decided, as he told him, "Okay, then.  I'll see you tomorrow night."  He lifted the reins to give them a jerk, but stopped just before he did to add with a smile, "And tell your Aunt Sarah I'll be waiting for another one of her blackberry cobblers."

 

He gave Brian a small smile and pulled the goggles back on over his head as he finally made the motion that Headstrong had been waiting for; as soon as he flicked the reins with his wrist and let out a sort of "Go" command between his lips, the horse began to take off at a steady but increasingly faster trot.  It wasn't long before the horse had picked up full steam and was quickly rushing down the track, Justin's hair flying in the wind as it gleamed under the intense, mid-day sun.  Brian watched him for several seconds thoughtfully before he turned and climbed back over the fence to resume his own activities.

 


	12. The Ebb and Flow of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin has a heart-to-heart talk with Vic and finds out an old friend is coming back to town; Brian winds up in a life-or-death situation as he finds an unusual way to bond with his uncle.

_Two Hours Later  
_

Justin pulled up at the stables and slowly disembarked from the sulky, feeling every rut and gouge in the dirt track seeping all the way through to his bones; no matter how many times he worked out on their track, he couldn't escape the battering his body suffered afterward.  The constant motion of the sulky, while relatively smooth, still jarred him back and forth as he practiced.  He figured that no matter how many times he did it, he would always ache after he was done; it was one of the downsides to harness racing.

 

Groaning a little over the stiffness in his body, he heard Headstrong chuff softly as he walked over and placed his hand on the side of the horse's nose.   "You did well out there, Big Guy," he told the animal tenderly with a wistful smile; despite his predicament at home, he couldn't fault the racehorse for his inner turmoil.  He rubbed his cheek momentarily against the horse's neck before he walked around to the back of the sulky; unhitching it from the bridle, he pulled it far enough away from Headstrong so the horse could be freed from it before he placed it carefully down onto the ground.  Picking up the horse's reins, he slowly led Headstrong over to the pasture gate, and opening it, waited until the horse had ambled into the grassy area before, detaching the reins, he securely closed the gate behind him.  Stretching his upper body backward to try and work some of the kinks out, he only partially managed to dissipate some of the tiredness he suddenly felt.

 

"Productive workout?"

 

Justin turned slightly to see Vic standing several feet away at the stable's front doors as he rested his elbows on a pitchfork clutched in his hands; he had just finished laying down some fresh straw for the horses and had decided to take a short break before he moved onto plowing up more of the back acreage in preparation for the soybean planting.

 

Justin glanced over at Headstrong, noticing the horse slowly meandering over to True Blue who was grazing several feet away near the back of the paddock; while he wouldn't be caught dead going anywhere near the uncontrollable horse that  formerly belonged to the Walkers, Headstrong never seemed to have any qualms about being in close proximity to the spirited animal.

 

"Not too bad," Justin replied as he turned to walk over to the older man; Vic was casually clad in a pair of denim, bibbed overalls and a navy-blue plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his favorite attire when he was anticipating getting dirty.  "He was a little on the impatient side today," he advised him, not wanting to elaborate on just WHY the horse had acted that way.  If they hadn't been repeatedly interrupted by a certain annoying neighbor, Headstrong might have acted quite differently.

 

Vic bestowed a half-smile on the younger Taylor boy as he asked softly, "Any particular reason?"  Not that the horse didn't normally ‘feel his oats' when he was out on the track - the animal was quite fleet of foot and knew it, so he would sometimes act up just because he could - but he had gotten a peek earlier as to the reason why their most prized racehorse might have been a little flustered and it had nothing to do with the horse's idiosyncrasies; it seemed that their new neighbor boy had apparently become smitten with Justin.  You didn't have to be a mind reader - or even be close by - to notice the boy outwardly flirting with his young friend earlier.  Of course, the kiss he had seen the two boys sharing was a good indication as well.

 

Justin's face flushed slightly as he recalled his latest encounter with Brian.  He looked away, feeling awkward.  "No, not really," he finally said as he turned back to look at his friend, feeling like an idiot over having to lie.

 

Vic nodded silently as he studied Justin's face; he could sense that his young friend needed to talk.  "I have some of your mom's homemade lemonade in my thermos; want to join me for a little while to cool off?  I have some interesting news," he added mysteriously with a smile.

 

Justin stared over at him, intrigued; his own troubles temporarily forgotten.  "What kind of news?" he asked curiously, his interest piqued.

 

"Let's go sit down and I'll tell you," Vic promised him as Justin nodded.

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, they had escaped the garishness of the midday sun and were sitting together on a couple of stacks of straw in the stable, sipping from some plastic cups.  The summer was just beginning, but already it promised to be warmer than usual; inside the spacious barn, even with all the half-doors of the stalls flung open, the weather was slightly uncomfortable without the presence of any noticeable breeze to offset the warmth.

 

Justin downed the rest of his lemonade in one gulp as he peered over at Vic, unable to control his curiosity any longer.  "Okay, Vic; so what's the news you mentioned?"

 

Vic smiled.  "We're going to have a visitor for a couple of weeks; someone you know.  Although I don't reckon your brother is going to be too pleased about it."

 

Justin furrowed his brow for a moment until his face lit up with a big smile of glee; that could only mean one thing - or should he say, one _person_.  "Em?" he ventured as Vic nodded with a knowing grin.

 

Justin giggled.  "Oh, you're right; he is NOT going to like that one bit!"  Vic's nephew, who was about the same age as Jared, had visited the Taylor farm about a year ago for the first time and had promptly developed a huge crush on his older brother, following him around like a puppy dog everywhere he went - into town, to the swimming hole, to the pool hall, even ‘accidentally' showing up at the classic car auctions where he and their father typically purchased their hotrods.  He was sure that only his father's warning NOT to carry the boy's idol worship to its logical conclusion had prevented Jared from fucking the daylights out of him just because he could; well, that and Vic's plea that it would be awkward to know that his employer's son and his nephew had gotten ‘better acquainted' during his stay.  Emmett had finally given up trying to win Jared over about the time he had to leave, but now that Justin knew he was coming back, something told him that Emmett might try and pick up where he had left off.

 

Justin had actually grown fond of Emmett while he was here, finding his humor and rather unorthodox style of dress quite entertaining; the other boy always had a myriad number of wild, crazy jokes he could rattle off and he certainly didn't _dress_ the part of a typical country boy, although he had never personally been to Alabama; perhaps down there they didn't dress quite the same as in the back hills of Kentucky.  Something told him, though, that leather-like, butter-colored tight pants and a black spandex top wasn't exactly normal attire no matter _where_ your farm was located.  You certainly couldn't do a lot of menial labor in them, but then again, Emmett hadn't exactly knocked himself out doing chores when he had come to visit, either.  That was ONE thing he and Jared had had in common, he supposed:  fear of breaking a nail or getting dirty, except when Jared was working on one of his muscle cars.

 

Justin couldn't help grinning at the thought of Emmett coming back to terrorize his older brother again.  "So when is he coming?"

 

"He'll be here tomorrow morning; he'll be staying with me again in my trailer out back."

 

Justin's eyes widened.  "That soon?  Then he'll be here in time for the social tomorrow night."

 

Vic nodded with a grin.  "You don't think that's an accident, do you?  He's been raving about Sophie Mason's pecan pie ever since he won it last year at the cake walk.  Trust me, it's _totally_ intentional."

 

Justin laughed; the town's postmistress always brought her 'world-famous' pecan pie to the yearly social, and the gooey, nut-laden treat was always the absolute favorite at the cake walk.  Justin got a kick out of Emmett's participation in the game last year; at first, he seemed to have no idea how it worked, but once he got the hang of it and figured it out, he was bouncing right in time with the fiddle music as he and the other participants walked in a circle until a number was called.  It had been pure coincidence that Emmett had wound up with the prized pie after it was over (attracting several glares from the sore losers in the process), but one bite of it and he was in heaven!  The pie was gone by the end of the second day.

 

He smiled over at Vic.  "It'll be great to have his company for a while," he told him.  He sighed.  "I could use a little cheering up."

 

Vic eyed him intently, knowing this was the opening he had been seeking.  "I thought there was something bothering you," he said quietly.  "Want to tell me about it?"

 

Justin crumpled up the plastic cup and threw it in frustration onto the ground.  He brushed his hand through his tousled hair as he advised, "It's nothing you haven't heard before, Vic."

 

The older man nodded.  "I know you've had a lot of pressure placed on you."  He paused for a second.   "I wish I was able to take your place, Justin," he added with an almost wistful tone of voice.  Despite his love of the sport, Vic had long ago given up on trying to race horses professionally; neither his spirit nor his body was in any shape to accomplish such a difficult feat.  The most he could do, then, was try and offer some sort of moral support and maybe extend just a little technical expertise from his 'glory days'.  He didn't kid himself, though, that he would ever be able to handle riding a sulky again.

 

"Thanks," Justin replied sincerely.  He huffed at the irony.  "I wouldn't mind if you _did take_ my place, actually, at least from time to time.  I _do_ enjoy racing - it's kind of a high, especially when I win..."  His eyes lit up momentarily, only to be replaced with a sad look.  Yes, he _did_ like racing and the rush it gave him - he liked the competitiveness of it, at least when it was fair - but the feeling was all too fleeting once the reality of his situation at home sunk in and his waning dreams of attending college began to seem more like a distant memory.

 

Vic peered at him silently, somehow knowing that Justin would continue speaking when he was ready; sometimes silence was the best part of a conversation that you could have with someone.

 

"But..." Justin finally continued after a moment, struggling to try and explain how he was feeling.  He focused on a metal bucket hanging from a wooden post several feet away.

 

"...But sometimes you just wish you could do it for the joy of it without all the pressure."

 

Justin turned his gaze to concentrate on his friend before he nodded.  "Yeah," he replied softly.  "I know I shouldn't feel that way... I know how much my family depends on me..."

 

Vic huffed in anger.  "Justin... Son, you're _seventeen years old_!  That's what you have a mother and a father for - not to mention an irresponsible, older brother."  Vic wasn't going to hide that fact that while he was an old friend of Craig's, he still felt that he wasn't doing as much as he could to support his family, and he didn't even want to start with Jared's lack of accountability.  "You can't shoulder the world by yourself.  You _shouldn't_ have to, either."

 

"I know," Justin admitted as he let out a heavy breath.  "I just wish I knew how to change things, I guess."

 

"Well, I know how things NEED to be changed," Vic growled as he downed the rest of his lemonade with one last gulp, crushing the cup in his fist in anger.  "Your brother needs to grow up and carry his weight around here.  Just because your father and I go back a long way doesn't change the face that he coddles him way too much."  He paused for a few seconds as he gave Justin a wry smile.  "I guess I don't have to tell YOU that, though; do I?"

 

Justin shook his head as he reached down and plucked a blade from the straw he was sitting on to roll it idly between his fingers.  "No," he whispered, the pain evident in his voice.  He lifted his gaze to peer over at his old family friend, the man who had given him so much advice and instruction on how to successfully race and asked plaintively, "Vic, I want to go to Vanderbilt so badly.  I have to get out of here somehow.  You know what happens if someone my age stays here; they either become a farmer or a coal miner; there _isn't_ anything else to do!"  He let out a deep breath.  "Do I look like a farmer or a coal miner?  Look at my dad!  He was supposed to be an accountant; how many accountants does a farmer need?  Vic, if I don't go to college, I'll be stuck here for the rest of my life; and if I am, I might as well die, because I WILL be dead - inside.  Just like my dad already is."  He blinked, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall even while cursing himself for sounding and acting like some little, scared kid.

 

"I know, Justin," Vic replied softly, his heart breaking at the mournful tone of his young friend's voice.  Yes, Justin definitely had a gift when it came to the horses, and he was quite successful at harness racing, but it wasn't where his passion lay.  He had seen enough sketches of Justin's to know how talented he was and what a waste it would be for someone as artistically brilliant and compassionate as he was to wind up having to shovel manure and plant crops for the rest of his life.  Justin's dreams - and his happiness - lay elsewhere.  Right now, he had no idea how he was going to help him chase those dreams, but he was going to be damned if Craig and his irresponsible brother prevented that.  "They'll be a way, Son; I'm sure of it," he told his friend, even though he had no idea what it would be.  He just knew that someone as deserving as this young man had to have luck on his side.

 

Justin nodded.  "I hope you're right," he replied as he cast his gaze onto the dirt floor and continued to fretfully twirl the piece of straw between his fingers.

 

Vic eyed the younger Taylor carefully before he cleared his throat, thinking that perhaps it was best for now to change the subject.  "Uh, Justin, I've been meaning to ask you," he began.  "The Walkers' nephew that's staying with them... What's his name?"

 

Justin raised his head to peer over at Vic as he swallowed hard, the question catching him a little off guard.  "Br... Brian," he managed to stammer out, even now the name evoking a certain nervous emotion in him.

 

Vic managed to hide his amusement as he nodded solemnly.  "Right... Brian.  I was just wondering what you thought of him?  I understand he's been in a little trouble before with the law."

 

"Nothing that big," Justin protested, wondering why he was trying to defend the older boy.  "He just stole a car is all."  His father had found that out from the Walkers and had wasted no time informing him and Jared of it as a silent admonition to tread carefully around him.  That hadn't assuaged his interest in him, though.

 

Vic's eyebrow rose in curiosity.  _Only stole a car?_   That sounded pretty serious to him; it was interesting that Justin seemed to be sticking up for him.  "Isn't that a felony?  I heard from your father that he was drag racing with it."

 

"That's why he's here instead of in jail," Justin countered stiffly.  "He's being allowed to work it off.  He's been a lot of help to the Walkers so far."

 

Vic _did_ have to smile a little at how Justin was continuing to defend him; it seemed they were both smitten with each other.  "Oh, he has, has he?  And how do you know that?"

 

"Uh, well, I've run into him from time to time while I've been practicing."

 

Vic grinned, enjoying himself and the flustered look on Justin's face.  "Practicing what?"

 

Justin looked indignant.  "Practicing with Headstrong!" he said almost with a 'duh' sort of tone.

 

"Ohhh," Vic replied as his grin widened.  "Nothing else?"

 

Justin appeared confused.  "Of _course_ nothing else!  What else could I have been doing lately?  You know the only time Jared is forced to do any chores is when I have to prepare for a race!"

 

"Well, I saw you and the Kinney boy over at the track a little while ago, and it looked like the two of you were practicing something else together."  Justin's face instantly reddened in embarrassment, and Vic knew then that he had hit the nail on the head.  "You too really seemed to be hitting it off."

 

"I don't know what you mean," Justin stammered again, hoping to God that he hadn't seen what he was afraid he had seen.   "Brian WAS out earlier picking some blackberries and blueberries for his Aunt Sarah so she could make her cobbler for the social tomorrow, and they ARE located near the fence," he pointed out.  "I can't help it if the track runs alongside where he's working."

 

"Looked like he wasn't exactly _working_ when I saw him," Vic divulged as Justin's mouth gaped open slightly and his face turned a little more red.  "Not unless that's what they're calling kissing nowadays.  I about had a heart attack when I saw him actually lay down on the track; you barely missed that boy!"

 

"I know!" Justin exclaimed, forgetting that he was supposed to be playing dumb.  "I told him that was a stupid thing to do!  And then later he hit me with some of the blackberries in the face and on my shirt!  See?" He twisted his upper body around so Vic could see the clear, dark-colored smudge on the back of Justin's shirt and he had to laugh; the other boy was both persistent as well as creative.  Yeah, he had it bad, all right; he's just not sure that Justin realized how much.

 

"So what exactly is going on between you two?" he asked Justin point blank, finding himself just a little concerned.  Justin was so young and inexperienced; and while he could be feisty and combative at times, especially with his older brother, it worried him somewhat that this Kinney kid was playing him just to get what he wanted out of him before he dropped him like the proverbial hot potato.  He cared for Justin a lot, and did not want him to get hurt.  He knew that was part of life sometimes, but he didn't like anyone taking advantage of him, whether it was Craig, Jared, or this rebellious, more experienced boy.

 

Justin thought about simply brushing off Vic's question, but as he stared into his eyes, he found that he couldn't.  He sighed.  "I wish I knew," he admitted.  "God, Vic, he's so hot!  I've never seen anyone like him!  I _want_ to think he really likes me, but I just don't know!  I'm afraid," he confessed, feeling a little foolish.

 

"Of what?" Vic pressed gently, knowing the probable answer already.

 

"That he's just using me," Justin answered as he averted his gaze downward in embarrassment.  "That as soon as he... He gets what he wants, he'll just move on to someone else."  His cheeks burned in shame; just the thought that he was some gullible, hokey country kid who didn't know shit about sex or what it took to make another boy genuinely care about him made him feel like an idiot.  Of course, that had been his biggest fear from the start, and despite what Brian seemed to be telling him lately with his words, his kisses, and his touches, he still couldn't quite rid himself of the lingering doubts swirling around in his head about the other boy's intentions.

 

Vic shook his head in irritation; if Kinney DID do that, he would hear from HIM.  He was strongly protective of this boy; Justin was kind, compassionate, and intelligent, not to mention he was a beautiful young man, inside and out.  If Kinney used him and tossed him aside like some garbage alongside the edge of a dirt road, he would get a piece of his mind.  The other boy was obviously attracted to the youngest Taylor son, but he'd better treat him right or he would hear about it, from both HIM and the Walkers.  Something told him that Sarah - and especially Will - would not look too kindly to their nephew creating a major disruption between them and the Taylors.  In this part of the country, you needed every helpful neighbor you could get just to survive.

 

"Do you have any reason to think that's what he's intending to do?" Vic asked quietly.

 

Justin bit his lip.  "No, not really."  He looked over at Vic.  "Do you think that's what he'll do, Vic? I mean, I've never, uh, you know.  Maybe he would be disappointed anyway."  _Shit - could he feel any more embarrassed than he did right now?  But he knew he could never discuss this with his mother and father, and especially Jared; his brother would laugh in his face._

"No," Vic told him firmly, trying to sound more convincing than he felt; he simply couldn't hurt Justin, though, and Kinney better not, either; this boy gave himself wholeheartedly to whatever he did, and something told him that when it came to love, he would be the same way.  "He would be crazy to do that, Justin.  He _wants_ to be with you; and if he does, it won't matter if you're experienced or not."  He took on a wistful sort of look then as he thought back to HIS first time so long ago; he had been upfront with Craig about his homosexuality soon after they had first met, and the boys knew it as well.  He normally didn't spend a lot of time discussing it, though, but in this case perhaps it would help.  Besides, he knew that Justin felt much more comfortable talking to him than his father about sex.  "Your first time should be special, though; don't let him do anything you're not ready to do, okay?  When the time is right, you'll know it.  And always make sure you protect yourself."

 

Justin silently nodded as Vic stood up, knowing his break time was long over.  He walked over to place his left hand on Justin's shoulder to give it a squeeze, nodding down at him affectionately, as he turned to go.  "I'll go take care of Headstrong and True Blue," he told him.  "You go get some lunch; I'm sure you haven't eaten yet."

 

Justin nodded again as Vic turned to go.  "Thanks," he replied softly.  "For everything."

 

Vic nodded back at him.  "Anytime."  With one last look of support, he turned and walked outside,  leaving Justin alone with his thoughts and his doubts.

 

* * *

_Walker Farm_ \- _Same Time_

Sarah smiled in delight as the porch screen door creaked and, using his backside, Brian pushed the back door open wider, walking inside as he lugged a teeming bucket full of blackberries beside him.  "Look at you!" she exclaimed.  "How many did you wind up with?"  She hurried over to grab the side of the plastic handle to help him carry the heavy bucket over to the table and place it down on top.  "Those are _huge_!"  She had already rolled out six homemade crusts and placed them inside her rectangular, glass baking dishes in preparation for making her prize-winning cobbler for the social tomorrow night; she knew that would be keeping her busy for the next 24 hours.

 

Brian pulled out one of the metal kitchen chairs and groaned as he sat down at the table.  He wiped some perspiration off his brow as he advised, "There're four more buckets still out in the wagon - two more blackberries and two full of blueberries."  He eyed his aunt warily, noticing how pleased she seemed to be at the bounty he had procured.  "That's a LOT of berries; are you really going to use all of them for the social?"

 

Sarah laughed.  "Dear no!  If I used all of them, I'd need about ten times more baking dishes than I have!  No, I'll crystalize most of them and freeze them for use later in the year.  But I WILL make at least six of them before I'm done.  Two will be given away at the cake walk, one blackberry and one blueberry will be put into the judging contest, one will be auctioned off at the silent auction, and the last blackberry cobbler - that one will go to Justin," she said with a tender smile.  She grinned over at Brian, noticing a flicker of emotion appear on his face at the mention of the younger Taylor boy's name.  "Speaking of Justin, did you see him out practicing on the track today?  I know there's another race coming up this weekend, so normally he'd be working out with Headstrong a few days before."

 

She reached over to grab the pitcher of iced tea she had made earlier, pouring some into a tall, clear glass and handing it to Brian as he took a big drink before he placed it down in front of him.  "Yeah, he was out there," Brian said quietly, looking down at the table as he recalled his and Justin's meeting earlier in the day.  He had been there, all right; he couldn't think of anything else BUT him the whole time Justin had been riding.  Even after they had went back to their own tasks, he couldn't help watching the Taylor boy circling the track, his luminous, blond hair blowing in the wind as he picked up speed around the oval course.  He was very graceful and fluid in his movements on the track, almost becoming one with the horse and sulky as they whipped by him.  And Brian had also found himself pausing to admire the strength and sleekness of the racehorse, Headstrong; the horse was quite fast and very powerful, two attributes that he could readily appreciate.

 

Sarah nodded.  "Did you have a chance to tell him that you would be at the social tomorrow?" she asked as she walked over to the kitchen sink to retrieve a large, white, ceramic bowl to transfer some of the berries for washing.

 

"It might have come up," Brian admitted, for some reason not wanting to share too much of what he and Justin had discussed.  He was still trying to figure it out himself; plus, he was still extremely curious about what had happened to his cousin Dale.  He was going to hold Justin to his promise to tell him more about what happened tomorrow night at the social.

 

Sarah nodded as she brought the bowl back to the table and sat down across from him, stealing a curious glance over at her nephew; she sensed there was something going on between then, something more than what Brian was divulging.  She just hoped he did right by Justin.  "Well, I'm sure he'll be happy to have the company.  There aren't a lot of kids his age around town; most of them are more Jared's age, and you know how uncool it is to be seen hanging around with your friend's kid brother, so they tend to ignore him most of the time.  Hopefully you won't mind keeping him company, though, at least for one night."

 

"Well, I'll have to take your word on that," Brian replied, ignoring the other part of her statement as he reached over to begin collecting some of the blackberries to place them into his aunt's smaller bowl.  "All I have is a sister, and we're not that close."  Actually, that was an understatement; Claire would rather not even acknowledge they were related, and his mother favored his sister over him constantly.  Sometimes he wished he was just an orphan; it would make his life a lot easier.

 

"Yeah, I know," Sarah said softly.  "Did you miss not having a brother growing up?" she asked as the two of them worked congenially together to fill the bowl.

 

Brian shrugged as he discarded a berry that didn't look ripe.  "I never had one, so how could I miss not having one?"  Truthfully, though, there HAD been times when he had wished he had someone to confide in; he never felt comfortable going to his father with his problems.  His father only wanted to know about his achievements, not his failures.  The only consistent treatment he could expect from his father was disappointment when he didn't live up to his expectations.  Then again, a drunk didn't have very high standards, either.  Perhaps that was why he was allowed to get away with some things; his father preferred just to turn his head and look away rather than deal with them.  It was only when he was arrested and publicly identified that his father all of a sudden took an interest in him, mainly because he and his mother were worried about how it would appear to their 'church-going' friends.  That was the whole reason why he was here in the first place.  If he had to be honest, though, his worry about exchanging one prison for another hadn't quite materialized; and one of the reasons why it hadn't turned out to be quite so bad was because of his aunt - and _Justin_.  So in an odd way, his father had inadvertently done him a favor for once in his life.

 

Sarah nodded with a half-smile.  "I guess you have a point," she said.  "Sometimes I wish Will and I had had another child; then maybe it wouldn't have hurt so much when Dale died."  She inhaled a deep breath as melancholy invaded her thoughts - whispers of sorrow and regret - before she forced herself to move on; playing a game of 'what ifs' wouldn't change anything.

 

Brian eyed her carefully from across the table before he forged ahead.  "Aunt Sarah, you said my uncle was a lot different before my cousin died."

 

Sarah smiled.  "Yes, at least in some ways.  He never used to worry so much about day-to-day things, not like he does now.  Of course, any time farming is your living you always have to worry to a certain extent, since the weather can make or break you each year."  She reached to grab a few more berries to put them into the rapidly-filling bowl as she continued.  "And he used to laugh and smile a lot more back then."

 

"You know... I'd really like to try and make amends with him," Brian told his aunt, knowing he had to tread lightly here.  "But I feel like I can't do that until I really understand what happened back then."

 

Sarah swallowed as she lifted her gaze to meet the hazel eyes boring into her.  "You mean with Dale."

 

Brian nodded.

 

"His death was unexpected, Brian.  He was always the healthiest child; never missed a day in school, at least due to illness, and never was on any prescription drugs.  I think that's why when it happened, it shocked us so much, especially Will, and that's why he's still having such a hard time getting over it.  Dale and Will had their differences, just like any other father and son, but they had always done everything together.  In the year before he died, though, he and Dale had started to drift a little further apart."  She quirked one side of her mouth up affectionately as she explained, "He was so much like you in a lot of ways, Brian - independent, a little rebellious, stubborn, and a born leader.  He was a typical teenager, though; he was just beginning to grow into being an adult and wanted to spread his wings a little bit more, away from his father.  Will didn't like some of the things he was getting involved with; some of the _people_ he had become friends with and was hanging out with.  But the racing had started to bring them back together.  And then the accident happened... And the world that we knew came crashing down."  She inhaled a deep, shaky breath and let it back out through partly-opened lips as she told him, "Will was never the same after that."  She smiled wistfully over at Brian, however, as she explained, "But since you've been here, even with the problems you two have had, I've been starting to see just a little more of the 'old Will' re-emerging, and that gives me hope."  She reached over to take Brian's free hand and squeeze it.  "I'll be forever grateful to you for that, Brian."

 

Brian pushed his tongue into his cheek, feeling unexpectedly awkward.  "I haven't done anything; he still doesn't really like me."  He wondered when that started to bother him so much, and when he actually started to care.  But somewhere along the way, he had, and it hurt to think that his uncle didn't like him.  His uncle was irascible, grouchy, and had little tolerance for disobedience or sloth, but he was also one of the hardest workers he had ever seen, and didn't beat him to within an inch of his life when he didn't follow his directions.  And at least he set clear guidelines for him to follow; in a way, he liked that because at least it showed that his uncle cared about him in an odd sort of way.

 

"That's not true," Sarah protested.  "I know him a lot better than you.  He's always had kind of a hard time expressing his feelings, but he doesn't dislike you, Brian.  Keep working on him; you'll see.  And it'll be the best thing you could do for me, too, if you continue to bring the 'old Will' back to me."  She gave his hand one more squeeze before she let it go to continue collecting berries from the bucket.

 

"But about my cousin; how...?"

 

To his consternation, Sarah shook her head.  "Please, Brian; tomorrow is such a happy occasion around town.  Don't ask me, at least not now.  One day I'll tell you the rest of it, just not right now,okay?"

 

Brian sighed in frustration.  _Well, I tried, Farm Boy.  You're going to have to answer my questions now._   He resolved to press Justin tomorrow night about the details; he HAD to know what happened back then!  Of course, whatever he learned or didn't learn tomorrow night, he was sure he'd have an interesting time trying to find out from his company.  The thought of going to a 'town social' didn't thrill him with anticipation, but spending more time with Justin - preferably alone - certainly did.  "Okay," he finally agreed.  "Where IS Uncle Will, by the way?  I haven't really seen him around lately."

 

"He's out in the dairy barn, watching over Checkers," she told him.  "She's showing signs she's about ready to have her calf and he wanted to keep an eye on her."

 

Brian's eyes widened.  "A calf?  How big _are_ they when they're born?"

 

"Well, with dairy cows, normally around 80 to 100 lbs.  Will thinks Checkers is going to have a big one, too, and he's a little worried about it.  She's never had a calf before, and heifers are more likely to have problems with their first offspring."  A sudden idea occurred to Sarah as she asked, "Brian, can you run out to the dairy barn and see if Will wants to come in for a bite to eat?  He hasn't eaten lunch yet, and I haven't had a chance to take any out to him.  Maybe you can keep an eye on Checkers until he has a chance to eat.  If any problems come up, you can come and get him."  Of course, she wasn't all that concerned about her husband eating; he had gone several hours before without a meal when he was concentrating on a particular issue, but any opportunity for a possible bonding experience between her husband and her nephew was one that shouldn't be passed up.

 

Brian's looked at her, a little concerned.  "You think there's going to be problems?  I'm not sure that I..."

 

"Your uncle will be right here if you need him; it's just a precaution," she assured him, but Brian wasn't totally convinced; it sounded too much like some rural Murphy's Law to him.  But he trusted his aunt as he pushed back from the table and stood up.  "You'll both be right here?" he repeated just to make sure.

 

Sarah fought to hide her smile as she nodded solemnly.  "I'll even leave just the screen door open so we can hear you more easily if you need him," she promised.

 

"Okay," Brian told her.  "You'll both be right here."

 

She had to laugh then.  "Yes, Brian. _Go_.  Everything will be fine."

 

He nodded again as he finally turned to leave and Sarah shook her head.  For a boy who could be so cocky and self-assured when it came to some things, Brian could also be like an insecure, little boy when it came to others.  "Do your magic on him, Brian," she whispered as the creak of the porch door sounded and Brian exited.  "Keep it up."

 

* * *

 

Will looked up from his task as he saw a motion out of the corner of his eye; he was a little surprised to see his nephew walking into the barn.  He was sitting cross-legged next to their dairy cow that was baying pitifully as she lay on her side, a thick bed of straw splayed out beneath her.  She was clearly in discomfort, which was not a good sign.  He had already used the landline phone out in the barn to call the vet at the first sign of her distress, anticipating what would likely be a difficult delivery, but the doctor was at best fifteen minutes away, and something told him that this heifer didn't have that long to wait; her baby was impatient to come into the world by the signs and noises she was making.  The big question, though, was would it make an appearance alive or dead? The odds of a heifer successfully giving birth the first time weren't that high; too many things could go wrong.  The desperate truth, though, was that they really needed this calf.  It would be a small amount overall financially, but the money they could eventually get by selling her could make enough of a difference for them to get by one month in the dead of winter.

 

"What are YOU doing here?" Will groused softly as Brian walked up to join him; he could detect a note of concern and even fear on his nephew's face; two emotions that he rarely saw there.

 

Brian forced himself not to take offense at his uncle's tone of voice as he explained, "Aunt Sarah asked me to come out and see if you wanted me to stay with the cow so you could go eat lunch."  He looked warily at the large animal lying on her side, her big eye blinking up at him.  Checkers had looked big enough that one day when he been milking her; right now, though, she looked immense - and just a little intimidating.  "Is she okay?" Brian asked as he heard her let out a mournful sort of groan.

 

"First of all, Brian, she's not a cow; she's a heifer.  They're only cows AFTER they've given birth at least once," Will corrected him as Brian huffed a little in irritation; he didn't care WHAT they were called.  To him a cow was a cow.  "And secondly, no, I can't leave. She's NOT okay."  He brushed one weathered hand through his hair as he explained, "I think the calf is in the wrong position to come out, and if it is, there's going to be problems; BIG problems."

 

Brian's eyes became big as saucers; what had he gotten himself into? In the immortal words of Butterfly McQueen, he 'didn't know nothing 'bout birthin' no cows.'  "Well, don't they have vets out here or something?" he asked in desperation.

 

Will gave him a barely-disguised look of impatience as he advised, "Of _course_ they have vets out here!"  He sighed, trying to calm himself down as Checkers let out another groan, indicating she was having another contraction; they were getting closer and closer now - TOO close.  "But he's at least fifteen minutes away, and that calf wants to come out NOW."  He gazed up intently at the young man peering apprehensively down at him and came to a decision.  "You're going to have to help me move it into position, or it's going to die."

 

Brian's mouth gaped open.  "What?  You've got to be shitting me."

 

"No, I'm not," Will responded in a clipped voice. "And don't use that language in front of me.  Now get over here and help me."  Brian, however, appeared frozen in place.  "NOW, Brian!  Do you want this baby to die?"

 

His uncle's demand seemed to sink in as Brian began to hurry over to his uncle's side.  Kneeling down next to him, he asked, "What do I do?"

 

"Just hold the tail out away from her while I try to move the baby into the correct position.  Keep your other hand on her flank to try and keep her calm and immobile."

 

Brian gave him a look of disbelief as he scooted back toward the rear of the animal, wondering how he was going to be able to keep an animal that weighed several hundred pounds 'immobile.'  But he did as he was told as his uncle moved next to him, grasping the tail with his right hand and holding it away from the animal's body as he rose to kneel on his knees and hold the heifer down as best he could with his other hand.  He marveled at how warm the animal's skin felt underneath him, just as Checkers let out with another groan.

 

"It won't be long now," Will told him, his own face etched with concern.  Cupping his hands together, he reached inside the animal's birth canal, discovering that the calf was in the backwards position:  the soles of the hooves and the knees were pointing toward the ground, not upward.  He couldn't feel the tail between the newborn's legs, either, which was the biggest cause of his worry; if the tail wasn't repositioned, the calf might not pass through the rest of the birth canal and the longer it took for the heifer to give birth, the more there was a chance the calf's umbilical cord would be pinched and its oxygen supply cut off.

 

"What is it?" Brian whispered as he noticed the look of grave seriousness on his uncle's face.

 

"The tail's in the wrong place," he told him grimly as he began to reach inside the birth canal for the tail. "It has to be moved between the calf's hooves, or we might not be able to get this calf out before it's asphyxiated."

 

Brian bit his lip in anxiety as he watched his uncle trying to maneuver his hands inside the heifer; all the while, Checkers was bleating piteously in pain.  "Easy, girl, easy," Brian told her soothingly, at once sympathizing with the hurting animal but feeling like an idiot; he tried not to think about the fact that he was comforting a cow (oh, yeah, a heifer) of all things as his uncle let forth with an unexpected profanity.

 

"Sorry," he grunted as Brian raised an eyebrow in surprise.  "I can't get my hands where they need to be; they're too big."  He glanced down at his nephew's long, almost delicate hands and said the words that Brian was dreading.  "Brian, you'll have to try and do it."

 

Brian shook his head.  "Uh, uh," he protested as Will withdrew his now mucous-covered hands.  He couldn't help crinkling up his nose in disgust at the slimy sight that was making him queasy.  "I can't do it."

 

Will's eyes flashed in anger as Checkers moaned loudly, clearly in torment now.  "Yes, you can, damn it!  You either do it or this heifer AND her baby are going to die, do you understand?"  He took a deep breath as he calmed himself, his breathing heavy with anxiety.  His voice was softer and almost pleading now as he said, "Brian.  _Please_.  You're the only one who can save this calf - and the mother.  I NEED both of them.  Please help them - and ME."

 

Brian stared into his uncle's face, noticing his terror now.  He knew his uncle was telling him the truth, but could he do it?  He only knew at that moment that he had to try.  He nodded as he scooted around the older man.  "Okay," he agreed to his uncle's enormous relief.  "What do I do?"

 

Will nodded as he changed places with Brian, placing a hand on the heifer as he held the tail away from her body.  "Place your hands palm to palm as close together as you can," he began as Brian did as he was told, grimacing as he neared the animal's birth canal.  "Push your hands in about six inches or so and start twisting your hands and wrists around the baby's head and hooves until you can locate the tail."

 

Brian took a deep breath and bit his lower lip in concentration as he got nearer and nearer.  Taking one last breath of courage, he forced himself to ignore the hot, slick sensation as he pushed both hands inside, finding more room there than he would have thought.

 

"Good," his uncle murmured as he watched attentively.  "Push in just a little more and start feeling around for the tail now," he said, his voicing rising a little in excitement.  "Do you feel it?  It might be hard to grab onto," he warned.

 

Brian grimaced as he tried to ignore what he was doing; he would be washing his hands about a thousand times after this.  It felt like he was trying to grab onto a raw oyster as he finally located what had to be the tail.  "I found it!" he cried out in triumph as his right hand curled around it.  "I've got it!"

 

"Good!" Will cried out, feeling just a glimmer of hope.  "Now take it and push it between the hooves and grab hold of them; this calf's about to be _born_!"

 

Brian nodded as he pushed the tail out of the way before feeling for the front hooves.  "I feel them!" he told his uncle.  "But they're hard to hold onto."

 

Will nodded, his excitement - and hope - mounting.  "I know; grab onto the legs right above the hooves as best you can and start pulling.  As soon as they're partially out, I'll try to help you."

 

Brian nodded again, wishing he had some gloves or anything to help get a better purchase, but he knew there was no time to waste.  Brian grabbed onto the legs where his uncle told him to and began to pull, feeling them give just a few inches.  "Come on!" he said to the calf as he grunted from the exertion of a second push; this time, the legs began to move several inches toward the outside.  "It's coming!" Brian shouted as he grabbed onto another spot and gave the calf another pull.

 

"That's it!" Will cried out.  "Keep pulling!  It's coming; I can see the legs and the head!"  Checkers continued to bleat loudly as Will reached over and placed his hands right above Brian's to grab hold of the legs right above him, almost like they were playing a game of tug of war.  "Pull; just a little more!"

 

Brian grunted again as together the two of them gave the calf a stronger pull now and finally it plopped out, surrounded by a mixture of mucous, blood, and other bodily fluids.

 

Brian watched in rapt fascination as his uncle reached for a couple of large towels and began to clean the calf off, holding his breath as he waited to see if the calf was alive.  He eyes grew large in disbelief as he observed his uncle grasp the newborn by its hind legs and stand up to swing it around in a semi-circle.

 

"What are you DOING?" he asked.

 

"It's a way to clear its nasal passages," Will told him, out of breath from his exertion.  "And to drain the trachea, nose and lungs of mucous."  Will kept swinging the calf as he growled, "Come on!  Come on!  Breathe!"

 

Finally, both of them could hear a high-pitched, bleating sound burst forth, and Will let out a whoop.  "That's it!" he cried out in happiness.  "That's what I wanted to hear!"  Stopping his motion, he placed the newborn down gently on its side in the thick bed of straw just as he heard a truck door slamming.  A few seconds later, Dr. Callahan, the town vet, came rushing into the barn.

 

Walking up to Will and a boy he didn't recognize, he noticed the newborn lying on its side, apparently in no distress.  "Looks like you've had an addition to your herd," he observed with a smile as he placed his black medical bag down on the ground next to the calf.  "I came as fast as I could.  Was it bad?" he asked as he knelt down and began to examine the animal.

 

"Yeah," Will replied as he sat down next to the doctor, a bespectacled man in his 50's with salt-and-pepper, wavy hair and piercing, dark-blue eyes.  The vet was wearing a pair of well-loved, worn denim jeans, scuffed, light brown boots, and a brown, plaid shirt with thin, maroon stripes.  Out in the country, there was no need for formality when it came to dress, nor was it practical.  "The tail was in the wrong position and it was in the birth canal backward, but it wasn't going to wait one minute longer."

 

The doctor looked over at Will and nodded.  Having known the Walkers for a long time, he was well aware of Dale's death; he knew that it not only had affected Will Walker emotionally but also financially. He knew, then, that losing a calf would have been a big blow to him.  "Well, she appears to be doing okay under the circumstances now," he observed clinically as he placed a stethoscope to the calf's heart and listened to the strong, regular heartbeat.  "I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, but you did a good job birthing her."

 

Will looked over at his nephew and smiled, a genuine, appreciative smile.  "I had a lot of help from my nephew," he stated firmly.  " _He_ was the one who saved her, not me."  Brian looked back at him in stunned but pleased surprise as his uncle turned to the vet to say with what sounded suspiciously like pride, "Doc, I'd like you to meet my nephew, Brian."

 

 

=============================================

 

_I will have another chapter of this up shortly that details the town social, Emmett's arrival, and a little 'nighttime' activity' between the boys.  (No, not THAT one, at least not yet - ha!).  Hope you enjoyed this first part; thanks for reading and for the support.:)_

 


	13. Shine On, Shine On Harvest Moon...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian discovers the joy of moonshine with his 'sunshine.' Justin has another confrontation with his father before the town social. Jared develops a plan to break the two potential lovers apart with some unsuspecting help.

The slamming of a vehicle's door caused Sarah to lift her head in curiosity; they weren't expecting any company today.  Wiping her hands on her half-apron, she pushed back from the kitchen table and walked over to the back screen door, her eyes widening in concern when she recognized Doc Callahan's battered pickup truck parked near the barn.  "Oh, no," she groaned in concern as she pushed the screen door to open it and rushed outside.

 

As she neared the barn, she could hear some quiet talking, but not much else.  Biting her lower lip in apprehension over what she might encounter, she hurried inside, noticing the doctor kneeling down in front of Checkers, who was lying on her side.  She could see Will and Brian facing him on the other side of the cow as she called out anxiously, "Will?  What's going on?"

 

At the sound of her voice, her husband lifted his head to look over at her and to her utter surprise actually _smiled_.

 

"Sarah!" he cried out excitedly.  "Come and meet the newest addition to our family!"

 

Sarah couldn't help smiling back at him in immense relief as she rushed over to see a newborn calf lying on its side, struggling now to stand up.  "Oh, my God, Will!  It's beautiful!" she gushed.  She noticed with a start that Will actually had his hand on Brian's shoulder as he nodded back at her.

 

"You mean _she_ ," he corrected her.  "Isn't she a beauty?"

 

Sarah nodded as she looked down at Brian who had this look of amazement on his face as he watched the cow now slowly rise on her knobby little legs and finally stand shakily on her feet.  "She looks just like her mama," she said, feeling a little foolish over her sentimentality.  But it was true; she had the same type of black and white markings that had gotten the mother her name of 'Checkers.'  "How is she, Doc?" she asked their long-time vet.

 

The doctor ran his hands alongside the newborn's stomach, neck and head as it bleated softly in complaint.  "Seems just fine to me, especially considering the way she came into this world," he told her as he placed his stethoscope away in his bag and wiped his hands off on his pants.  "You'll need to keep a close eye on her, but she looks good so far."

 

Sarah nodded as the doctor rose up on his feet; she was well aware that even with a successful birth, complications could still ensue in the next couple of days.

 

"You know what to do?" the vet said to Will, who nodded; this wasn't the first calf he had helped birth, so he knew the post-delivery procedures well by now.  "Give me a call if any complications occur," he said as he glanced over at Brian.  "But I think you have a pretty competent assistant there if you need help.  Nice meeting you, Son," he told Brian as he reached for his bag and stood up.  He nodded his head at Brian's aunt.  "See you at the social tomorrow, Sarah?  I'm salivating over the idea of some blueberry cobbler; you ARE bringing it, aren't you?"

 

She beamed over the compliment.  "Of course."

 

He nodded.  "Good.  I'll be in the front row bidding on it, then.  See you folks tomorrow."

 

"Thanks, Doc," Will told him quietly as the man turned to go.

 

"Don't thank me; thank your nephew," the vet said with a grin as he walked away.

 

Sarah walked over and knelt down where the doctor had been before to pet the calf as Checkers eyed her warily.  "It's okay, mom; you know I won't hurt her," she promised.  She looked over at Will.  "So it was a difficult birth?"

 

Brian snorted before his uncle had a chance to respond, wiping his hands off on an old towel that his uncle had given him earlier.  "You have no idea..." he murmured almost in a daze; the whole thing had happened so fast, he really hadn't had much time to absorb everything.

 

"Brian helped with the birth?" his aunt asked in amazement, wondering what the doctor had meant earlier.

 

"I still can't believe it," Brian replied as he looked from his sticky hands to the baby calf now standing wobbly on its feet; it still hadn't quite sunk in yet.  "That big baby came out of that cow..."

 

Sarah's heart sang at the sound of her husband actually _chuckling_ softly over their nephew's reaction.  "What happened exactly?"

 

"The calf was backwards and the tail was in the wrong place; I couldn't fit my hands inside, so Brian had to do it for me.  He delivered it."  He peered over at his nephew as he admitted, "If he hadn't been here, that calf wouldn't have made it."  There was a different tone to her husband's voice now, almost one of respect, as he described what Brian had done.

 

Sarah's eyes filled with tears of gratitude; it was yet another way that Brian had made a difference in their lives.  "I'm glad you're here, Brian," she whispered in a choked voice.  "You've been a lifesaver."  _In more ways than you know_ , she thought silently.

 

Brian found his face warming over the praise; it had been weird enough getting a thank you from his uncle, but to have his aunt thanking him, too - it was almost overwhelming.  He wasn't used to someone actually _giving him credit_ for something he did.  "Thanks," he finally managed to mumble in a self-effacing manner.  "I had no idea what I was doing," he admitted.  "It was damn scary."

 

For once his uncle didn't call him out on his swear word as he reached for the rope attached to Checkers.  "Come on, Mama; it's time for you to get up," he told the cow softly as he stood up and pulled gently on the tether.  Checkers seemed to understand what he was requesting, and must have wanted to stand up, also, because slowly, with a couple of loud moos of protest in between, she finally stood up on her feet, leaning her head down to nuzzle the newborn calf who was now standing next to her like a miniature version of herself.

 

"What are we going to call her?" Sarah asked as she stroked Checkers' neck soothingly.

 

Will huffed as he let go of the rope.  "I'll leave that up to you and Brian," he told them crustily as he fell back into his normal modus operandi.  "You know I don't name the farm animals, Woman."

 

Sarah grinned; she was on to him.  That was the nickname Will always used when he was trying to sound gruff, but not quite succeeding.  To her, it sounded like music to her ears, because he hadn't used that in a long time.  "I'll take care of it," she said with a smile.  "Are you done with your medical assistant now?  If so, I could use his help."

 

Will shrugged.  "We're done; I'll take care of the calf."  He knew whenever the town social occurred, his wife was up to her elbows in baking.  He didn't envy Brian the job she would assign him, then, although after helping to deliver the calf, his nephew would probably see it as a welcome change.

 

"Brian, can you help me out some more in the kitchen?" Sarah asked as Brian nodded.

 

He turned his nose up at his appearance; his clothes were all mussed up and dirty, and he smelled like shit.  "I need to take a shower first, though."

 

She nodded.  "I'll meet you downstairs in about half an hour?"

 

He nodded back at her as he stood up; still holding the soiled towel, he draped it over a wooden post near the stall before he headed out.  As he walked by her, Sarah impetuously threw her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.  "Thanks again," she whispered in his ear as Brian just stood there awkwardly, his hands held out so he wouldn't get her dirty.  Nodding once more at her as she let him go, he turned and walked out of the barn.

 

"I told you, William; he's a good kid deep down," Sarah told her husband as she watched him go.  "He saved that calf's life and probably the mother's, too, didn't he?"

 

"Yeah," Will conceded.  Feeling like he was giving a little too much away, he replied, "Can we just drop it now, Sarah? We're _already_ giving him a place to live where he can stay out of jail and out of trouble.  He's still not a saint."

 

Sarah sighed, wondering just what it would take to get completely through her husband's shell.  There had been some give and take, though, and that was a start.  "I'll have supper ready around 6," she told him as Will nodded.  Turning, she slowly walked out of the barn and back to her cobbler preparations.

 

* * *

_One Hour Later..._

Brian placed the heavy, teeming bucket of blueberries down into the right side of the cement, double sink in the basement with a grunt; after this, he would never eat another blueberry again.  But he had agreed to help his aunt prepare them for freezing, so he had to finish following through with it.  Taking the metal colander that he had been given, he placed it down in the bottom of the other sink and lifted the bucket enough to pour some of them into the colander.  Returning it to the other side, he began to pour water over the berries to wash them and prepare them to be placed, single file, onto a cookie sheet.  From there, they would go into the freezer until they crystallized in about four hours, at which time he could transfer them into glass Mason jars.

 

Five minutes later, he carefully placed each rinsed berry onto a nearby, metal cooking sheet and set them on a metal rack in the large, top-loading freezer that the Walkers kept strictly for freezing and canning their produce; it was yet another way that they tried to stretch every dollar they could, according to his aunt.

 

"I forgot my lacy apron," Brian snarked as he closed the freezer door and prepared to walk back over to the sink.  A white metal, slightly rusty corner cabinet, however, caught his eye as he dried his hands on a paper towel and walked over to investigate.  The door stuck a little as he pulled on the metal handle to open it, but after a little more exertion he finally succeeded as the door surrendered to his strength.  As he glanced at what lay inside, his face broke into a smile.  Now _this_ was something he would NEVER grow tired of!  Lined up on two shelves inside were approximately 10 - 15 dusty liquor bottles filled with some sort of pale yellow liquid; a cork was wedged in the top of each one, and they had no identifying labels on them, but it didn't take a wine connoisseur to know what was in THOSE containers.

 

His chore for his aunt temporarily forgotten, he reached to grab the nearest bottle by the neck, eager to give the contents a whiff and to get a taste of what lay inside. To his consternation, however, the cork wouldn't budge.  "Shit," he grumbled in disappointment.  He licked his lips; he could almost taste whatever was in it.  Sighing when he tried several times unsuccessfully to get it to move, he resolved to finish his task as soon as possible so he could go in search of some sort of instrument that would 'get the job done.'  Grabbing another bottle, he placed both down on the floor as he hurried to finish up what he needed to do.

 

* * *

 

Fifteen minutes later, the two liquor bottles were safely hidden in the bottom of the empty berry bucket as he carried his cherished contents back up the basement steps.  Making sure his aunt and uncle weren't around as he opened the door and stepped out into the narrow, wooden hallway, he quietly opened up the broom closet located directly across from the basement door and carefully placed the bottles behind his aunt's mop, shifting the rope braids around to completely cover his treasure.  Smiling in satisfaction, he closed the door back and walked toward the kitchen, swinging his empty bucket back and forth.  Now he had something besides his next encounter with Justin to look forward to. Or perhaps he could combine them?  His smile widened even more as an idea formed in his head and he went back to work.

 

* * *

_11:30 p.m. - Windswept Farm_

Justin lay on his bed on top of the covers, clad in a pair of loose-fitting chinos; he was bone weary, and had decided not to bother taking his pants off.   He knew he needed to get to sleep, but his mind was racing so much, slumber wouldn't come.  He sighed; that was getting to be a bad habit of his lately.

 

He clasped his hands on his bare chest, lost in thought.  He recalled his conversations with both Brian and Vic earlier today; they had basically told him the same thing - that he was too young to bear the great responsibility that had been thrust upon him, and he needed to find a way to fulfill his own dreams.  The main question, though, was:  how did he extricate himself from his situation without feeling like he was letting his family down?  That was the big question, wasn't it?  And there didn't seem to be any ready answers to it, either.

 

Earlier at dinner, he had toyed with the idea of broaching the topic, but he couldn't for the life of him find a way to do it.  Of course, having his jerk of a brother eying him from across the table and glaring at him didn't help much.  He wasn't sure what he had done to warrant his brother's scorn this time, but he suspected it was because their father had insisted on him actually doing some work for a change.  That was the typical reaction Jared _always_ had whenever he had to get his hands dirty with something other than grease and a monkey wrench.

 

His father had actually been somewhat decent for a change during dinner; he had asked him how the workout had gone and had seemed fairly interested in what he had to say.  It appeared that he was actually listening to him, rather than just nodding his head periodically and murmuring a 'uh hum' occasionally; he had a feeling his mother might have had something to do with that, but at least it helped to make the meal a little more pleasant, despite his brother's surliness.

 

The night unseasonably muggy for June, he thought briefly about rising from the bed to go flip on the switch to turn on his small, circular, tabletop fan that was situated on top of his bedroom dresser; he had forgotten to crack the window open earlier to try and get some circulation inside the room.  But he didn't get the chance to act on his idea.  Adrenalin raced through his veins just then as he heard a sort of familiar, pelting noise skittering against his window.  _No... there's no fucking way_...

 

"Oh, no," he murmured.   He knew it couldn't be hail - it was calm and dry outside; in fact, the moon was 3/4th full, and as common on clear nights such as this one, the sky was awash with starlight; millions and millions of tiny, sparkling twinkles.  He listened again for a moment as he continued to lie there, his heart beginning to pound.  There it was again - a distinctive sort of light, rapid tapping noise across the glass.  Well, that could only mean one thing in his mind.

 

Rising from the bed, he walked around it and over to the window.  As he peered down below, he couldn't believe his eyes.  Huffing in disbelief, he pushed on the lower wooden frame of the window and lifted it up as far as it would go.  As soon as he stuck his head outside, he didn't have long to wait to get a response.

 

"Howdy, Tex!" Brian yelled up at him brightly with a goofy, lopsided sort of grin on his face; Justin could see a bottle of some sort clutched in his right hand as he stood there looking up at him, his chestnut-colored hair shining in the moonlight.  "Come on down and let's do some arm wrestling!"

 

Justin's eyes widened at the loud tone of Brian's voice.  "Shhh!" he hissed down at him.  "You'll wake up my parents and Jared!  What are you DOING here, Brian?"

 

Brian actually hiccupped as he informed him, "I _told_ you; I came to see you."  In fact, Brian had wanted nothing else since he had seen him earlier today; the half-bottle of corn liquor he had already consumed had only strengthened his resolve.  "Come on down and let's get reacquainted."

 

"Brian, go away!" Justin pleaded with him.  "You'll wake everyone up and I'll be in deep shit!" he whispered down to him as loudly as he dared.

 

"No," Brian said, actually stamping his foot.  "I'm going to stay right here until you come down.  I'll sing," he half-threatened, half-promised him as he hiccupped again.  Normally, Brian would do no such thing, but it seemed the half-bottle of liquor, along with the weed he had smoked a little while ago, had loosened his inhibitions greatly.

 

Justin's eyes widened in disbelief.  Did Brian just say what he thought he just said?  He had never heard Brian even mention that he _liked_ to sing, much less attempt it.  But whether he could carry a tune or not, if he started belting out a ditty right now, there was no doubt it would be loud enough to wake the living dead; something told him Brian didn't do _anything_ half-hearted.

 

"Okay, okay, I'll come down," Justin hastily reassured him as he made up his mind.  "Just... just don't say anything else, and whatever you do, for God's sake, don't SING!  Got it?"

 

Brian grinned back at him as he raised his bottle up and gave it a swig, tripping slightly on his feet as he swayed a little.  "No can do, Farm Boy.  Get that hot ass down here in one minute or I'm going to serenade you with _100 Bottles of Beer in the Stall._ "

 

"I'm coming," Justin hastened to tell him as he quickly turned from the window and looked around frantically in the dim light for his shirt; deciding he couldn't waste time trying to remember where he threw it aside, he grabbed his sneakers and rushed toward the door, carefully opening and closing it so no one would hear him.  Wincing as he heard one of the steps creak on the way down and praying that Jared or his parents didn't hear, he reached the landing as fast as he dared and quickly turned the corner to rush through the hallway leading to the back door.  Grimacing at the familiar squeak of the screen door as he opened it, he quickly closed it behind him, his shoes still clutched in his hands.  

  
A few seconds later, he had to bite back the surprised squeal that threatened to erupt from his throat as he felt an arm slide around his waist from behind.

 

"Just in time," Brian whispered in his ear, his breath hot on his skin.   "Beer No. 100 was about to topple over." Despite the thick blanket of mugginess that permeated the night, Justin shivered at the sound of Brian's husky voice, even as his chest felt like it was on fire from the arm that was holding onto him.  He somehow managed to turn around in Brian's embrace and place his free hand against the other boy's chest to push against him to create some much-needed space between them as he asked once more, "What the hell are you _doing_ here, Brian?  Do you know what time it is?"

 

Brian reluctantly let go of Justin to hold his bottle up between them, eyeing his companion's pale, almost luminscent skin hungrily as Justin flushed.  "Time to _par-ty_."

 

Justin hurriedly plopped his shoes down onto the floor of the porch and slid his feet into them as he said, "No, it's time to _sleep_."

 

"Then why weren't you?"

 

"Why wasn't I what?"

 

"Sleeping."

 

Justin's eyes flashed; this boy could get him riled up - in so many ways - like no one else could.  "I was _trying_ to until I was rudely interrupted!"

 

Brian grinned as Justin rolled his eyes in frustration.  He wrinkled up his nose as he caught a whiff of Brian's breath.  "What have you been drinking, Brian?"  He couldn't believe he was having this inane conversation on his family's back porch.  He was scared that the longer he and Brian remained there, too, the more likely that someone would discover them.

 

Brian shrugged.  "Not sure.  It's not too tasty, but it gets the job done.  Found it in the basement."

 

"Oh, no," Justin murmured, realizing now why Brian was acting so out of it.  "Don't tell me you found Dale's stash of moonshine!  I thought they got rid of that shit!"  Jared used to regale him all the time with tales about how Dale was a consummate moonshine maker, and how the two of them had created an old still using some discarded car parts.  Jared, in fact, used to bring some of it home from time to time, unbeknownst to their parents, and hold it out to Justin like some prized possession.  Justin had actually taken a sip once, and had promptly spit it out, deciding that it tasted like a cross between rubbing alcohol and gasoline (well, if he had ever _tasted_ gasoline; it smelled enough like it to no doubt be able to fuel a car).  Jared laughed at his reaction at the time, causing his face to turn bright red with a combination of anger and humiliation, but for whatever reason he had never told his parents about it.  Now he almost wished he had for a _lot_ of reasons.

 

Brian hiccupped again.  "Is _that_ what this is?  Damn!  It really has a kick!"  He brought the bottle back up to his lips to take another swig before he held it out to Justin.  "Try some, Speed Racer!"

 

"Oh, brother," Justin retorted over the new nickname as he reached over to grab the bottle away from him.

 

"Hey!" Brian protested a little too loudly as Justin held it away from his reach.  "Give that back!"

 

"Brian, will you keep it down?" Justin pleaded, expecting the back door to open any second.  Acting partly out of desperation, he clutched Brian's wrist and began to pull him off the porch away from the house; Brian stumbled slightly as he missed one the back porch steps and had to catch his balance as he and Justin reached the ground.  "So pushy," Brian murmured as he was half-walked, half-dragged toward the gate leading out to the dirt driveway.

 

Justin gazed upward as if seeking divine intervention as he continued to tug Brian as far away from the house as possible; not realizing his every move was being watched now by the darkened, angry eyes of his brother peering out from his own bedroom window upstairs.  Jared's mouth pressed into a firm line as he watched his brother and the boy he had become fixated upon slowly ambling toward the side of the barn; just before they turned the corner and disappeared behind it, he noticed Brian's arm slide around his brother's waist and pull him close.

 

"You little shit," Jared growled as his jealousy grew.  "You're just a means to an end, Justin; he's just using you to get what he didn't get from me."  He clutched the curtain tightly in his fist, his breathing rough and labored.  "Well, we'll just see about this, Squirt," he snapped as he turned around to shrug into his jeans.  Treading barefoot over to his door, he opened it to walk down the hallway to his parents' bedroom.

 

* * *

 

Their backs propped up against the split rail fence of the cow pasture, Brian took another swig from his bottle, his previous boisterousness at least temporarily tempered by his sudden fascination with all the thousands, if not millions, of stars twinkling above them.  He craned his neck as he cast his eyes upward and looked with lips partly open in astonishment at the blanket of lights above them.  "Where did they all come from?" he murmured philosophically as he gazed at them.

 

Justin grinned.  "They were there all the time," he replied, amused by the look of childlike wonder on Brian's face.  He had to speak up a little more loudly than normal to be heard over the choir of crickets chirping all around them.  "You just couldn't see them in the big, bad city."    A train whistle sounded mournfully off in the distance and Justin smiled.  "Do you hear that?" he asked as he held his breath to listen to it sound again.  "The train horn?"

 

Brian turned his head to look over at his companion; even in his inebriated state, he marveled at the beauty beside him.  He nodded his head.  "Hobos ride on them," he said unexpectedly as Justin erupted with a soft chuckle of amusement.  Brian thought it sounded almost magical.

 

"You've been reading too many urban legends," Justin scoffed softly.  He smiled again as the whistle sounded once more.  "I love the sound of a train horn," he told him as their shoulders touched.  "There's just something nostalgic about them, almost hypnotic.  It's peaceful in a way."  He eyed Brian sheepishly as the other boy wordlessly stared at him, knowing how weird that must sound.  "Do you know they have certain signals they use when they're passing crossings?  You can tell whether it's a long train or a short train by how many times they blow their signal, because they have to keep blowing them in intervals until the train has completely cleared."

 

"You know you almost glow under the moonlight?" Brian asked as Justin blushed to his roots at the unexpected compliment; apparently the corn liquor had succeeded in loosening Brian's lips as well as his inhibitions, because he knew he would never talk to him that way any other time.  He watched, wide-eyed, as Brian leaned in toward him as if he were about to kiss him, when all of a sudden he took another swig from his bottle instead. "I promised to sing to you," he remembered with a sort of 'oops' look on his face.

 

"No, no, that's okay," Justin hastily responded, but it was too late.  He watched as Brian hugged the bottle to his chest and looked up at the luminous moon above them before he opened his mouth and what could just barely pass as singing escaped his lips as he crooned at the top of his voice:

 

" _Shine on, shine on, harvest moon, up in the sky!  I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June or July!"  
_

Justin's eyes got big as saucers at the unexpected song choice as Brian continued to belt out his song:

 

_"Don't make-a me wait too long..._ mffph!! _"_

"Shhh!" Justin hissed as he clamped his hand over Brian's mouth to muffle the noise; two cows several dozen feet away in the fenced-in pasture promptly began to moo in startled irritation and a dog could be heard barking somewhere off in the distance.  "Keep it down!  You'll wake everyone up!  I'm not supposed to be out here, Brian, and I'm sure neither are _you_!"

 

Brian shrugged Justin's hand away from his mouth as he crossed his arms over his chest, still clutching his bottle, and stated flatly, "You're no fun."

 

Justin huffed.  "It has nothing to do with _fun!_   You're just now making headway with your uncle; do you want to jeopardize that?"

 

Brian's face brought out into a wide, almost smug grin as he said, "I bet you didn't know I'm a father."

 

Justin scoffed.   "What the fuck are you talking about, Brian?  How can you be a father?"

 

"I am," the older boy insisted.  "I'm the proud father of a 100-pound, bouncing, mooing, baby girl," he reported as he held his bottle out in tribute.  "Bottoms up," he said with a smirk as he took a swig and Justin blushed at the look he was giving him.  He frowned suddenly as he peered down, looking perplexed at his bottle as if he was just now realizing something.  "I should have milk."

 

"Wait a minute!" Justin exclaimed excitedly as Brian's words sunk in; he clutched his companion's sleeve as he asked, "Are you trying to tell me that Checkers finally had her calf?"

 

Brian nodded as he grimaced.  "Have you ever felt up the inside of a cow?  Shit; that must be what it feels like to do it with a girl."  His eyes traveled down the length of Justin's bare torso as he reached out and trailed one hand lightly down the middle of his sternum; he watched in fascination as Justin's muscles rippled under his touch.  "I much prefer to do it with someone like _you_."  His hand continued its downward travel toward the waistband of Justin's chinos as his hand curled around the fabric and he leaned in closer, his mouth hanging open slightly as his eyes locked on Justin's.  His eyes drifted to his mouth, particularly that tantalizing, full, lower lip...

 

Justin's heart began to pound; as much as he was attracted to this gorgeous, sexy boy, the words that Vic had quietly spoken to him earlier came filtering back to him; was this how he wanted his first time to be, a convenient avenue for a half-drunken, oversexed boy who was merely using him as a convenience?  But, God, he was so hot and the way he was looking at him sent a thrill of anticipation coursing through him.  At that moment, he wanted him so badly, but not this way.

 

"I'm flattered," Justin finally answered dryly as he caught Brian's roaming hand in his own and grasped it, unable to avoid noticing how warm it felt; as Brian's fingers curled around his hand, his couldn't help thinking what those talented fingers could do somewhere else.  God knows he had spent enough hours lying in bed at night wondering just that.  He stared into eyes that bored into his; their faces mere inches away from each other's.  Justin couldn't help reaching up to tentatively touch Brian's jawline, the pads of his fingers ghosting over the slightly-stubbled skin.  "But it won't be tonight," he finally said with a resigned sigh.

 

He pulled his hand away from Brian's surprised face and released his hand as he stood up, impulsively climbing up onto the split rail fence to look out over at the pasture land and put a little space between them; several dairy cows of various sizes, ages, and shapes quietly grazed or stood stock still under the moonlight nearby, the rolling hills behind them looking like earthbound rainbows with their curved, arched shapes.  This spot always gave him a certain amount of peace among his turmoil, but at the moment with Brian so near him, he found his heart pounding in reaction over what he had just done.  He wasn't sure if he had done it out of courage or stupidity.  What he DID know was that it wouldn't have taken much encouragement on his part for Brian to fulfill his most fervent wish - to know what it was like to be possessed body and soul by him - but he just couldn't allow that to happen with Brian in his current inebriated state.  When it did occur - and he desperately knew now that he wanted his first time to be with him - he didn't want it to be in the heat of passion with no substance or meaning behind it.

 

Brian sat there, his mouth agape as he watched Justin pull away from him and climb up on the fence; had he just rejected him again?  How much more was he willing to subject himself to at this younger boy's expense?  Just what was it about Justin that attracted him so to the point where he was even willing to put up with it?  All he knew was that he had to have him, one way or the other; he was more like some insatiable thirst now, and boy, was he out in the desert!  Sighing in frustration, he slowly pulled himself to his feet, leaving the half-drunk bottle lying neglected on its side as he walked over to his companion.  He placed his elbows on top of the fence as he stood there watching several cattle grazing among the grass or just standing there immobile like statues.  His eyes twinkled and his face broke out into a slow smile as a wondrous thought occurred to him.  "Justin?"

 

Justin turned his head to his left as he replied, "Yeah?" wondering what Brian wanted now; his body was aching for release after being so close to him, and this didn't help assuage it any.  He was suddenly afraid that he was about to be told to go to hell and get lost over the constant, insecure, mixed signals he was giving him.  But what Brian said next totally came out of left field.

 

"How do you tip a cow?"

 

"Huh?"

 

"You heard me.  Let's go cow tipping!" he cried out in glee with a big grin on his face.  He managed to climb up besides Justin and was about to scamper down onto the other side when Justin grabbed his upper arm in alarm.

 

"Are you out of your fucking mind, Brian?" he told him, his eyes wide with concern.  "You can't tip a cow; they weigh over a thousand pounds!  That's just an old wives' tale!"

 

"Humph," Brian huffed out, undeterred and unconvinced as he pulled out of Justin's clutches with surprising deftness and jumped down on the other side of the fence.  "Come on, Farm Boy!  Let's go round one of these doggies up!"  He lifted his hand as he pointed at the cows and began to count out, "Eenie, meenie, minie, mo, catch a heifer by the toe, uh, hoof.    My mother the bitch told me to pick YOU!"   And with that, he settled on a large, black and white bovine standing stock still approximately fifty feet away; from the immobile stance of the beast, it appeared he, or she - he couldn't tell which - was fast asleep on his feet...uh, hooves.

 

"No, Brian!" Justin called out to him as Brian began to stealthily creep over toward the cow.  "Don't do it; cows don't sleep standing up!" he warned him.  "Brian, listen to me..."

 

But, emboldened by a sense of either courage or stupidity, as well as fueled by his partially-drunken state, Brian continued to silently advance on his target as some of the other cows turned their heads in curiosity over their unexpected and unfamiliar visitor, their big eyes blinking as they studied him with wariness and suspicion.

 

Justin's hands gripped the top of the wooden fence tightly in fear as he watched like an observer about to see a train wreck; to his horror, one of the steers - the one 'affectionately' known as Diablo who had  the sharpest horns and the surliest of dispositions - slowly began to wander over in Brian's direction.  "Brian!" he hissed out urgently again.  "Get back over here, you idiot; you don't know what you're doing!"  God knows he and Jared had done their share of stupid things growing up - including the same stunt that Brian was attempting to pull right now - but they had learned the hard way that you could NOT tip a cow over.  All they had gotten from _their_ attempt was a sore ass from the spanking their father had given both of them later when he had found out what they had done.  At least they had managed to escape with their dignity and their limbs intact that time.  Now it appeared, however, that Brian was going to possibly get a sore ass, too, though not from spanking.  He was afraid that it might be more of a spearing rather than spanking as he watched the steer picking up speed now as it headed closer to his prey.

 

Brian walked up to the apparently slumbering cow, bending over to look underneath at the udders as he seemed to weigh his options.  He rubbed his chin with his hand thoughtfully as he stood back up and surveyed his target.  It didn't look all _that_ hard, he decided; all it would take was a good, hard push and a lot of luck.  Even in his less-than-sober state, though, he knew it was bad news to try and push it from the back; after all, he had seen enough of a cow's ass lately and those legs looked quite stocky and strong.  Deciding it was best to carry out his deed from the side, then, he walked around to the cow's flank and placed his hands, palm down, on the surprisingly muscled skin.  To his surprise, the cow that he thought was asleep turned his or her head, then, to look over at him as he (or she) shifted a little on hooved feet.

 

"Brian, look out!" Justin warned him as the steer started to pick up speed.  "Run, damn it!" he shouted now, not caring how many cows, dogs, or people heard him.  "Move!" he told him.  "Go!" he screamed in terror.

 

He watched, unable to turn away, as Brian finally realized there was an angry animal charging directly for him.  His eyes bugged out as he hid behind the other cow as long as he could like a child playing tag behind a tree until the animal was only a few feet away and, adrenalin pumping through his veins, he took off like a shot toward the fence.

 

"Hurry, Brian!" Justin yelled as the steer began to gain on him.  "Come on!" He urged him as he held his hand out and motioned for him to speed up.  He leaned down as Brian approached, thinking he could try and give him a hand up; all the while, the steer began to actually _trot_ now, his hoofs reverberating in the still, night air.  Justin knew it if was colder, he would see the steam rising from the beast's flared nostrils in anger as he kept advancing, faster and faster.

 

Brian risked a quick look over his shoulder as he continued running as fast as he could, hoping his previous experience in high school track would serve him well now; he could see the animal gaining on him and he wondered fleetingly if he would make it as his lungs threatened to burst from the alcohol-infused exertion.  He didn't have time to dwell on that now, though, as he concentrated instead on Justin's face etched with fear as the boy motioned furiously with his right hand for him to keep running.

 

Finally, just as the steer seemed to be gaining on him and he tilted his head forward with the intention of spearing him squarely in the ass, Brian ran up and grabbed the top of the fence next to Justin and climbed up, bumping his head as he somehow hoisted himself over the top like a pole vaulter just seconds before the animal came up short on the other side, snorting and huffing in fury at being thwarted.

 

Justin's heart pounded in fear as he twisted his body around and landed on his ass several feet away from Brian on the ground, his chest heaving from the near encounter.  He lay there for a few seconds to catch his breath before he finally rose to a sitting position, bracing his upper body by his elbows as he looked over at Brian who lay still and motionless nearby.  "Brian?" he called out tentatively.  "Are you all right?"  He had noticed Brian hitting his head as he had scampered over the fence; had he knocked himself out somehow?  "Brian, can you hear me?" he asked, but he received no response; only the sound of the thousands of crickets continuing to chirp, the herd of cows occasionally mooing, and the frustrated steer still huffing on the other side of the fence could be heard as he rose and crawled over to Brian's side on his hands and knees.

 

Brian was lying there on his back with his hands flung out to his sides, his eyes closed.  Justin's heart stopped as he dropped down next to Brian and shook him by the upper arms; he couldn't see any rise and fall of breath from his chest.  Alarmed, he began to shake him a little more urgently, but still there was no response.  "Oh, my God!  Brian!  Can you hear me?"  He turned his head to place his cheek close to Brian's partly-open mouth, but he couldn't feel any air caressing his skin; there was no noticeable inhaling or exhaling from the other boy's chest.  "Brian, talk to me!" he urged him in desperation as he shook him one more time, but again, there was nothing.

 

Finally, not knowing exactly _what_ to do, he frantically thought back to the CPR training he had received in junior high school as he reached with his right hand to grasp Brian's chin and tilt his head back; reaching in first with his finger to make sure there wasn't anything stuck in Brian's throat, he placed his hands back down on the other boy's shoulders and firmly sealed his lips over Brian's, forcing air into his windpipe.  Taking a brief respite to pull back from the soft, warm mouth, he plunged back in, again transferring his breath into Brian.  He was so focused on what he was doing that it took his brain a few seconds to register the arms that slowly wrapped themselves around his back as they pushed him down against Brian's chest; Brian's lips suddenly came to life as he plunged his tongue inside Justin's mouth and began to kiss him passionately.

 

Justin's eyes bulged in realization soon afterward as he used his leverage on Brian's shoulders to launch himself away from him with an indignant sputter.  "You!" he cried out. "You... You _asshole_!" he exclaimed as he twisted his body away from Brian, his lips tingling from the kiss.  Brian chuckled at his reaction then, which only made him madder.  "You did that on purpose!" he snarled.  "I...I thought you were really hurt!"  He shoved Brian then in anger as he sat on his knees before propelling himself into a standing position.

 

Brian laughed at the petulant look on Justin's face.  "Come on, Justin!  Can't you take a joke?  Damn, that was fun!"

 

Justin folded his arms over his chest.  "Ha, ha, yeah, very funny, Brian!  Oh, but wait!  I'm not laughing!"  He twirled around and began to stomp back down toward the farm, not even glancing a look backward; Brian, hesitating only briefly as he decided to leave his prized, half-consumed bottle of moonshine behind, hurriedly rose to his feet and began to rush after him, stumbling a little as he went as he realized his equilibrium wasn't quite stable at the moment.

 

"Justin... Wait up!  Don't be such a sissy!"  _Oops,_ he thought as Justin seemed to speed up.  _Perhaps that wasn't the right thing to say..._

"Go back to your aunt and uncle's, Brian!" Justin yelled over his shoulder, feeling humiliated that he had agreed to go with Brian in the first place.  At that moment, he felt more like Solomon, the Walkers' loyal beagle trotting sappily after his master, than an intelligent, independent, man... Well, _almost_ a man, anyway.

 

Brian rolled his eyes as he continued to struggle to catch up with him; apparently Justin was pretty damn fast OFF a horse, too.  "You're being ridiculous, Justin!  Don't tell me you didn't think that wasn't funny!  And don't tell me you didn't enjoy that kiss, either; I KNOW better!"

 

"Don't flatter yourself!" Justin yelled back, unable to resist taking part in their verbal parrying; Brian just made him so damn mad sometimes.  _One step forward, two steps back_... "Go home and sleep it off!"

 

"Okay, I will!" Brian retorted as he stopped short and defiantly folded his hands over his chest; he pursed his lips tightly together in longing as he couldn't avoid watching Justin - and his delectable, perfectly-rounded ass - continuing to get farther and farther away from him as he continued down the dirt road back to his house.  Yes, he could go out and find practically _anyone_ to fuck tonight if he really wanted to satisfy the physical urges he was feeling - at least if he was willing to walk into what comprised a TOWN around here to find someone.  Or he could even go snag that asshole brother of Justin's, Jared, out of his bed, no doubt, and fulfill the other boy's fantasies; that would sort of be poetic justice where Justin was concerned.  But at that moment, he only wanted ONE 'fantasy' - the reality of fucking Justin Taylor senseless, over and over again.  Something told him that one time with this irascible, stubborn, and thoroughly fascinating boy would never be enough.  But he still drove him absolutely crazy, too!

 

"Have it your way, Taylor!" he shouted back as Justin shook his head in aggravation.  "No problem!  I'll find someone else to go to sleep WITH!"  With a huff of defeat, Brian promptly took a left turn and began to walk back toward his aunt and uncle's property, his lack of success having a somewhat sobering effect on him.  He let out a heavy breath as he turned around just long enough to see Justin proceeding toward his own house.  _Well, that turned out well_ , he thought with a grimace.  Why did he always do that to this other boy?  Justin had been nothing but kind to him as well as honest.  He had encountered enough virgins - and he was sure at this point that this was, indeed, the case with Justin - to know that they could be uncertain of themselves and possess sentimental, sappy notions about their 'first time.'  So why was he making it so hard on him?  Was it because he knew for once in his life that he actually CARED about the other boy's feelings and he knew that for someone like Justin the circumstances would mean a lot to him?  "Shit," he muttered as he raked one hand through his hair and sighed.  "Why did I have to get involved with HIM?" he wondered as he slowly made his way back to his aunt and uncle's house; except for the moonlight and stars above, the house was surrounded by total darkness in the early morning hour.   Walking up to the back gate, he lifted the old-fashioned, metal bar to unlock it and made his way up to the back door.  Luckily finding it still unlocked from when he had left before, he slipped inside; ten minutes later, lulled partly by the high-alcohol-content liquor he had ingested and his impromptu track dash to the fence to escape from Diablo, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a particularly vexing but beautiful boy.

 

* * *

 

Justin sighed as he continued walking back to the house, still trying to decide if he had done the right thing by rejecting Brian's obvious invitation to fuck.  But that was the problem, he supposed; it had been an offer to fuck, and with Brian half-inebriated to boot.  What sort of first time would _that_ be?  How memorable would it be, to know that he had had sex for the first time with a guy who most likely wouldn't even recall what they had done the next day?  He had to admit, though; it had hurt when Brian suggested that he would go find someone _else_ to take care of his needs.  Just the idea that the boy he was so infatuated with would think so little of him to go find someone else at a moment's notice only solidified his feeling that he had been right not to follow through on what his body - and his heart - was so desperately wanting him to do.

 

Brian could be such a conundrum at times; cocky, rebellious, headstrong (just like his horse), arrogant, and outrageously independent and uncaring of what others might do or think.  At times, though, he would show just a glimmer to him of someone else:  vulnerable, caring, funny, and even uncertain of himself.  It was _that_ Brian that he was quickly becoming irrevocably attracted to, and it was that version that he so desperately wanted to be with for his first time.  The big question was:  which Brian Kinney WAS he?  The one he projected himself to be to others, or the one he allowed himself to be when he showed just a small, other part of him?  "Will the real Brian Kinney _please_ stand up?" he murmured wearily as he walked up to the back, white-picket fence gate and let himself in.

 

Walking up the steps to the house a few seconds later, he was about to grasp the round, metal knob of the back screen door when the exterior door suddenly opened and he found himself peering into the instantly recognizable silhouette of his father.  A light came on over the kitchen table immediately afterward, and he could see his mother peering over anxiously at him, concern creased across her forehead.  His father opened the screen door and it was then that he saw his brother joining their mother's side at the table, a sort of satisfied smirk on his face.

 

"Justin," Craig said with deadly calm, his eyes cold and steely as he scrutinized his son's bare-chested appearance.  "Come in and sit down - NOW."

 

* * *

 

Justin swallowed at the hard tone in his father's voice as he slid past his rigid form and walked the few feet over to the kitchen table to sit down across from his brother.  Jared glared at him haughtily as their father closed the back door and walked over to sit down opposite Jen at the end of the table.

 

"Where have you been, Justin?" he asked quietly, a vein throbbing in his neck.  Jared had awakened both him and Jen up approximately an hour ago to tell them that their youngest son had left the house with the Kinney boy for parts unknown; not only that, but the other boy apparently had a bottle of booze with him.

 

Justin shifted his eyes nervously over to his mother, who it seemed like was deliberately avoiding his gaze; not a good sign.  "I... I took a walk," he finally said as he thought he heard his brother snort under his breath.

 

"You took a walk," Craig repeated slowly.  "Without your shirt?  Who were you with?" he asked as his eyes bored into his son's.

 

Justin looked over at his brother, who had a slight, smug-looking smile on his face, and in that instant he knew; somehow Jared must have seen him and Brian walking away from the house earlier, and he had wasted no time letting their father and mother know about it.   Knowing that it was no use to lie about it, he turned to look at his father as he admitted. "I was with Brian. And it was hot out."

 

Craig's face darkened in anger; somehow he knew the Walkers' nephew would be trouble from the moment he saw him.

 

Jared snickered at the double entendre.  "Yeah, I'll bet 'it' was hot, all right; see, I told you!" he interjected, stoking the tendrils of suspicion even more.

 

"You asshole!" Justin snapped at him, furious that his brother would rat on him.  What happened to the times when they used to stand up for each other?

 

"Justin, I will NOT tolerate that sort of language in this household," Craig told him sternly as he brushed his hand through his hair in annoyance.  "Apologize to your brother right now."

 

"I will NOT!" he protested to his father's shock, his eyes flashing.  "He uses the same language to ME when you're not around!"

 

Jared grinned over at him unbeknownst to their father, thoroughly enjoying his younger brother's predicament.  "No, I don't," he argued, issuing an outright lie.

 

"Jared, please, you are not helping," Jennifer told him as she held up her hand in an attempt to get her two sons to stop.  "Why don't you go back to bed?  We'll handle this."

 

Jared's grin faded in disappointment; that was not what he had in mind.  He wanted to hear every marvelous detail regarding his brother's punishment, because he was certain it was forthcoming.  "But..."

 

"Craig," Jennifer called out her husband's name as a call for backup, hoping he would at least see the reason in her request and agree with her.  There was no need now for Jared to stay; it would merely be a way for her son to taunt his brother even more, she was sure of it.  The least she could do was see that Justin didn't have to sit there and feel humiliated as a result.  "Tell him to go to bed."  She eyed him unflinchingly as she waited for him to respond.

 

Craig grunted slightly, a little put out that his wife - his subordinate - was trying to at least indirectly give him an order.  But he knew what Jared was trying to do, and while Justin was clearly out of line to sneak out of the house to meet up with that Kinney boy, there was no real reason for him to remain simply to antagonize him.  "You heard your mother, Jared," he finally stated brusquely.

 

Jared huffed indignantly as his mouth hung open slightly in disbelief.  "But I was the one..."

 

"Do it," Craig told him tersely.  "Don't make me say it again."  The unspoken _'or else_ ' hung there, heavy and thick with tension, as Jared glared over at his brother before he stood up and pushed the chair back roughly, away from the table.

 

"Fine," he bit out as he looked over at his brother, his jealousy still eating away at him like an acid.  "But don't think you're going to squirm out of this one, _Mr. High and Mighty_."  Jennifer sighed in frustration over her older son's attitude before he turned and stomped down the hallway; several seconds later, there was a slamming of his bedroom door before silence once more reigned at the table. It was an edgy, anxiety-driven silence, however, before anyone spoke up again.  This time, however, it was Jennifer who spoke as she reached out and grasped Justin's hand in hers from across the table.

 

"Justin, do you want to tell us why you sneaked out of the house to meet up with the Walkers' nephew?"

 

Justin bristled at the word.  "I didn't _sneak_ out of the house," he corrected her as he pulled his hand away from hers and placed both of his under the table in his lap.

 

"Then how would you describe it, Justin?" Craig pressed.  "You don't normally make it a habit to take a stroll at midnight wearing only your pants and sneakers, do you?"    _At least his son had been wearing that,_ he thought.

 

"Craig..."

 

"No, let me finish, Jennifer," Craig told his wife as he held his hand up for control.  He stared over at his son, who eyed him back defiantly, his arms now crossed over his bare chest.  "I can't wait to hear how you wound up outside with that other boy, Justin, especially when you knew you had to be up early tomorrow - or should I say today now - to practice with Headstrong.  What were you thinking?"

 

Justin huffed, suddenly feeling like he was some serf working off his debt.  "I wasn't planning on going outside," he told him stiffly.  How was he going to explain this without getting himself - and Brian - in more trouble?  Perhaps just a bit of a white lie was in order.  "Brian helped deliver Checkers' cow this afternoon for his uncle," he explained.  "And he was having trouble sleeping tonight after all the excitement, so he walked over here to see if I wanted to join him outside."

 

"Join him outside to do what?  And how did you know he was there to begin with?  Were you waiting for him somehow?"

 

"No, I wasn't _waiting for him_ ," he told his parents as he rolled his eyes in aggravation.  "He... he came over and threw some pebbles at my window to get my attention."

 

Jennifer couldn't help covering her mouth in amusement as Justin described the Romeo-and-Juliet type greeting; it was quite charming in a way, she decided; kind of like an old-fashioned wooing.  But somehow she had an idea that neither her son nor the Walkers' nephew would appreciate having their tryst thought of in that way.  And something told her that was exactly what it had been; this Kinney boy was obviously smitten with her son.

 

"This isn't funny, Jennifer," Craig reprimanded her sternly as his eyes bored into his insolent son's.  "Just what were you and Kinney doing tonight, Justin?  Was there drinking involved?"

 

_Damn you, Jared_ , Justin thought scornfully.  Obviously he had been the source of that information.  "No, I wasn't drinking," he told his father, which was true as far as it went.

 

Unfortunately, however, Craig wasn't settling for that ambiguous answer.  "What about Kinney?"

 

"What about him?"

 

"Don't be a smart aleck, Justin; answer the question!" Craig yelled as Jennifer reached over to grab his arm in a silent bid to get him to calm down.  Craig took a deep breath and let it out before he asked a little more quietly, "Was Kinney drinking tonight or not?"

 

_Shit_.  Justin looked over to his mother now for support, but to his dismay he didn't find any.  "Just answer the question, Honey," she urged him with a sympathetic gaze. "The Walkers have a right to know, since he's staying with them."

 

Justin pressed his lips into a tight line and sat there fuming for a few seconds as he pondered what to say.  Should he tell his parents they were wrong and that Brian hadn't been drinking?  If he told them that, however, he had a good suspicion that his father would call over to the Walkers right now - late hour be damned - and verify it for himself.  If he did, it would be obvious from Brian's state that he had, indeed, discovered Dale's old stash of moonshine.  Jared had to have seen the liquor bottle, also, so they would know that one of them was lying anyway.  He sighed; it appeared there was no way around it; he only had to hope that Brian's aunt and uncle wouldn't come down too hard on him when they DID find out.  Even though he and Brian had parted on less-than-amicable terms earlier, he still cared about him.  _Damn it._

He let out a breath before he admitted, "Yeah.  Okay.   Brian had a few drinks.  What's the big deal?"

 

"What's the _big deal_?" Craig yelled, incredulous.  "He's underage, Justin!  Where did he even get the stuff?"

 

Justin was tempted to tell him that he didn't know, but he also knew his father wouldn't quit until he found out.  Perhaps it wasn't too late to right one particular wrong, however.  "He apparently found some of Dale's old moonshine stash down in the Walkers' basement," he divulged.  "You know; the corn liquor that he _and Jared_ concocted out of some of his old car parts a few years ago?"

 

Jennifer gasped in shock.  "What?"

 

Justin gazed over at them in satisfaction; if Brian was going down with the sinking ship, then so was Jared.  "You heard me.  Jared was the one who found all the spare parts that Dale needed to make the still in the first place; they hid it out in the storage shed behind an old tarp and dragged it out whenever Dale's father had to go into town for supplies.  They sometimes used it after dark, too, when everyone else was asleep, and hid all the bottles downstairs in an old pantry cupboard that Mrs. Walker wasn't using anymore."

 

Craig's eyes narrowed in suspicion.   "How do YOU know all that, Justin?"

 

"Because Jared told me," he replied firmly, leaving no doubt that he was telling the truth.  "In fact, he was really proud of it at the time.  He even showed me a few bottles and let me take a sip; I hated the taste, though, and that was the last time I tried any.  Jared seemed to really like it, though," he added just for good measure.

 

"And just why would he trust you not to tell us?" Craig pointed out.

 

"Come on, Dad!  Back when it happened, I was thirteen years ago.  I didn't know what a jerk Jared was until later."

 

"Justin..."

 

"Well, it's true, Mom!  Besides, who would you have believed?  Me or Jared?"

 

"You could have come to us, Justin..." Jennifer assured him, although there was a niggling doubt in the back of her mind that perhaps he was right; back then, Jared could do no wrong, at least in Craig's eyes.  If he would have denied Justin's allegations, there was a good - better than good - chance that Craig would have believed Jared over him.

 

"We'll discuss that with your brother tomorrow," Craig told him.  "And don't think I won't talk to the Walkers about this, either; and starting right now, except for participating in the race this coming Saturday and doing your chores, you're grounded for the next month and you're forbidden to see this Kinney boy at all during that time; no outdoor activities, no horseback riding, no town social, no swimming, no ATV riding, period.  Do you understand?"

 

Justin's mouth fell open.  _Hell, no!_   "I won't do it," he stated flatly to his father's astonishment.

 

"What did you say?" he growled as Jennifer's eyes widened in surprise.

 

"I said no.  Brian didn't do anything wrong, and I actually had some fun for a change!  You can't forbid me to see him."

 

"Oh, yes, we can!" Craig countered.  "Either you do as we say or..."

 

"Or what, Dad?" Justin replied, his own voice rising in anger.  "You'll lock me up in my room for the next month so I can't do anything or be 'exposed' to Brian's bad influence?  Fine.  You do that.  And, oh, in the meantime, find someone else to race Headstrong while you're at it, too."

 

Jennifer's eyes widened at the almost threatening tone of her normally easygoing son's voice.  "Justin..."

 

"No, no, Jen, I want to make sure I heard him right," Craig said as he raised his hand and interrupted her. "What did you just say?"

 

"I said... Okay.  Go ahead and ground me, Dad.  But if I'm confined to my room for the next month, I won't be riding in any races, either."

 

"Is that so?" Craig challenged him, thinking his son would back down like he normally did.   "If you don't, you'll be confined to your room for the entire month without so much as a piece of paper or a crayon to keep you amused!  Is that what you want?"

 

"Craig, enough!" Jennifer lashed out then as Justin's face turned red with anger; she was unable to sit still any longer, especially at the mention of depriving their son of what he loved the most.   "I thought we had talked about this," she reminded him, thoroughly annoyed.   She wasn't quite convinced that Brian was totally harmless and wouldn't be a bad influence on her son, but it was obvious that Justin cared for him and from what Sarah had been telling her, he didn't sound like such a bad kid.

 

Craig's brow furrowed.  "What are you talking about, Jen?  I'm talking about Justin disobeying us."

 

Justin tried to open his mouth to protest that he had done no such thing - was there a 'lights-out' curfew in the house that he hadn't been told about? - but he didn't get the chance.

 

"How did he disobey us, Craig?  Justin's done everything that we have asked of him; he's worked out with Headstrong religiously, done all of his chores as requested, and even helped out the Walkers with their cow as well as done most of the repainting of the fence.  So he crept out of the house to meet up with Brian, who asked him to come outside.  And he's admitted that Brian stole some of Dale's old moonshine from the Walkers' basement.  As I recall, Craig Taylor, you, too, had a taste of some of the same kind of stuff when YOU were underage, too.  Did that make you a criminal or an immoral person?"

 

Craig bristled at her tone of voice.  "That's different," he maintained stiffly.

 

Justin, meanwhile, continued to sit there with his hands crossed over his chest as he listened attentively to his parents battling it out over him.

 

"How is it different, Craig?  What exactly has our son done wrong?"

 

Craig sputtered in indignation.  "It's different, Jen, because he's associating with a known _felon_!"

 

"Oh, for..." Justin growled in protest then, but Jen held up her hand for him to wait, and he followed her direction.

 

 "For God's sake, Craig!  You make the Kinney boy sound like he's been doing hard time for robbery and assault!  He's a nineteen-year-old-kid who, from what Sarah told me, made a mistake.  He's trying to make up for that now by helping them rather than languishing in a jail cell somewhere, and from what she told me, he's been a big help to them.   I admit that perhaps he's maybe not the best role model for Justin to emulate, but..."

 

Craig laughed as he shook his head.  _"Role model_?  Yeah, he's a role model, all right!"

 

"Uh, excuse me?" Justin finally interceded as held his hands up by his sides, unable to stand it anymore.  "I'm still in the room, remember?  And you can do what you want with me, Dad; and so can I.  I'm not some little kid who will cower at your feet; you might be able to keep me locked up in my room, but you can't sit my ass down on that sulky seat and make me race.  And Jared isn't exactly blameless in this whole thing, either; if he and Dale hadn't made that booze in the first place, Brian wouldn't have found it.  So how are you going to punish him?  Or will it just be me as usual?"

 

Craig's nostrils flared in anger.  "Watch your mouth, Justin!" he yelled, rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand as he felt a headache coming on.  This insubordination from his youngest son had taken him aback; when did Justin develop such a backbone for standing up for himself?  As much as he loathed admitting it, though, his son was right.  He had him over a barrel; if he grounded him, he would refuse to race, and if he did that, any prize money which they frequently won would be down the drain, and so would this farm.  And while his wife had more sentimental ties to it than he did, he still didn't want to wind up out on the street somewhere, penniless and homeless, which was a distinct possibility without their youngest son's prize money.  Jared certainly couldn't ride; he was much too big-boned and heavy for sulky riding, and not coordinated enough.  And besides, Headstrong hated him with a passion; he won't let him anywhere near him and starts to chuff and paw the ground if he tries to approach him.

 

He sighed in defeat as Justin glared back at him without blinking.  "You know I still don't trust that boy..."

 

Justin knew the sound of capitulation when he heard it as he tried hard not to smile in triumph.  _Cha-ching!_   "I'm not asking you to trust him; I'm asking you to trust ME."

 

"He's right, Craig; Justin has never given us any trouble or any cause to distrust him.  There was no harm done here, except that our son needs to get a little more sleep in preparation for Red Mill.  And Brian's not the first one to experience the joys of moonshine - right?" Jennifer asked pointedly, remembering when her husband used to regale her with tales of him sneaking out behind his childhood home to check out the next-door neighbor's moonshine-making capabilities, much like Brian had done tonight. Only he apparently hadn't been directly involved with making it - unlike their other son.  Which led her to another matter...

 

"Are we going to just let this go, then, Craig?  It's really late as it is, and I'm sure Justin will work at getting to bed at a reasonable hour tomorrow - _after_ the town social, that is."  She made no mistake from the tone of her voice that ALL the family would be attending, including Justin.  Something told her that wild horses - or surly fathers in his case - couldn't keep him away, especially with Brian reportedly coming with his aunt and uncle.  "Craig?" she repeated when her husband just sat there glumly.

 

He rolled his eyes, wondering how something so black and white had changed all of a sudden.  "Yes, all right!" he agreed to Justin's delight.  "But you promise me, Justin, that you will NOT let that Kinney boy drag you into something illegal or dangerous, you understand?"

 

_Does cow tipping count_? Justin couldn't help thinking as he recalled Brian's escapade earlier.  He thought it was best that he not mention that, but there was ONE other matter that needed to be settled.  "Okay," he agreed.  "But I'm not going to stop seeing or talking to him.  And I don't want you getting him into trouble with his aunt and uncle, either; he did nothing wrong."

 

"Well, I tend to disagree with that," Craig retorted, but he knew Justin would follow through on his vow not to race if he did tell them.  "But all right," he said through gritted teeth.  "I will keep quiet about it as long as he doesn't pull you into any more of his schemes."

 

Justin shook his head; not agreeing with his father's choice of words, but it would have to do; at least Brian wouldn't be penalized for his foray into the wonders of homemade booze.  "And what about Jared?"

 

"Jared?"  Craig replied dumbly, even though he suspected he knew what Justin meant.

 

"Yes, Jared, the one who helped make the moonshine in the first place.   He's really good at tattling on me and Brian, but what's his punishment going to be?"

 

"That was years ago, Justin!" Craig pointed out as Jennifer sighed in disgust over yet another example of her husband's favoritism; she had hoped after their last talk that some of it had sunk in, but apparently not enough.  At the sound of his wife's disapproval, Craig sighed heavily.  "All right, all right; I'll talk to him."

 

"You'll _talk to him_ ," Justin repeated, figuring where THAT would lead:  nowhere.  What a surprise.

 

"Yes, Justin, I will talk to him; what more do you expect?" he asked in exasperation.

 

Justin scooted back from the table.  "Nothing more than what I always get," he replied softly.  He looked over at his mother's face - a mixture of sympathy and disappointment over his father's response - before he turned and walked away.

 

* * *

 

At the sound of his brother's footsteps coming down the hall, Jared quickly stood up from his seated position at the top of the steps and hurried back to his room, having closed the door earlier but electing to stay within earshot of the events downstairs.  As he quietly opened and then closed it behind him, he stood there in simmering contemplation, his face dark with anger.  His plan to get his brother away from the Walkers' nephew had failed abysmally; in fact, it appeared now that HE might be the one in trouble.  Well, he wasn't too worried; his father would give him the customary and obligatory 'you shouldn't have done that' slap on the wrist before things would go back to normal.   Now all he had to do was formulate another plan to keep his brother away from Kinney.

 

He smiled as he remembered his mother telling him earlier at the kitchen table that Emmett, that obnoxious lapdog nephew of Vic's, was coming back to visit.  When he had heard, it had just made his mood even MORE sour; now, however, he decided that he might as well use the boy's adoration of him to his advantage.  He smirked.  _Game on, Squirt._         


	14. Emmett's Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian wakes up the morning of his 'cow-tipping' adventure a little 'tipsy' himself; still stinging over Brian's rejection of him, Jared uses Emmett's arrival to hatch a plot to break up Brian and Justin's budding relationship.

_Morning - 6:00 a.m._

At first Brian thought the clanging noise he was hearing was coming from inside his head, but after several seconds he finally realized it was actually coming from the old fashioned, Big Ben clock ringing beside his bed.  Groaning in disbelief that it was time to get up already, he turned on his side just enough to reach over and slam his palm down onto the top of the clock to quiet it; picking it up, he flung it violently across the room for good measure.

 

Struggling to rise from the bed, he clamped his head between his hands as he sat up with his back against the headboard, trying desperately to clear the fogginess from his brain.  He had a bitch of a headache, too - no doubt brought on by the moonshine he had sampled, well _more_ than sampled last night.  That, and the fact that he hadn't gotten into bed until 2:00 a.m.

 

"Fuck," he muttered as he finally managed to twist his body around and place his bare feet on the cold, wooden floor.  Taking a few moments to try and calm the pounding in his head, he shuffled over in his briefs toward the bedroom door and out into the hallway to head toward the bathroom, hoping like hell that his aunt and uncle stocked some extra-strength aspirin in their medicine cabinet.  He didn't pause to consider how much he had changed since he had come to live here - before he would have just stayed in bed until he damned well pleased, hoping to sleep off his hangover; now here he was at 6 am., plodding into the bathroom to take a shower before he went out to do his chores.  When had he actually started _caring_ about taking hold of his responsibilities?

 

* * *

 

Emerging from a hot shower fifteen minutes later, Brian felt somewhat better, but quickly downed the three aspirin he had thankfully found in the porcelain medicine cabinet with a generous cup of water, hoping that along with the shower it would ease the throbbing in his temples.

 

Arriving in the kitchen soon afterward, his uncle peered over at him curiously as he put the seed catalog he was perusing down on the table.  "What happened to _you_?" he asked bluntly.  "You look like death warmed over."

 

Brian collapsed into the chair on the other end as Sarah walked up and poured him a cup of coffee from the old-fashioned percolator she still used.  "I feel like it, too," he admitted.  But he wasn't about to confess that he had been out late last night boozing it up with Justin.  Somehow the tenuous truce he had managed to obtain between him and his uncle didn't provide him with enough confidence to believe that he would look too kindly upon what he had done.  Instead, he sought out another explanation that would make sense.  "I get migraines sometimes, and had one last night.  _Still_ have it, in fact."  _There, that sounded good_ , he thought to himself.

 

"Oh, that's too bad," Sarah cooed at him sympathetically as she placed the coffeepot down on a potholder and took her place next to Brian.  "Is there some kind of medicine I can get for you?  My father used to get those sometimes, too; he always said if he lay down in a quiet, dark room it helped to ease the pain.  Maybe you shouldn't work outside today; it's supposed to be sunny, and I hear that can make it worse."

 

To his surprise, Brian heard his uncle say gruffly, "Maybe that would be best."  Did he actually hear that right? Was his uncle really concerned about his well-being?  To his amazement, that thought actually made him feel a little guilty.

 

"No," he mumbled softly.  "It's okay.  I took some aspirin earlier that I found upstairs in the medicine cabinet.  That should help.  I'll still do my chores."

 

Sarah eyed him thoughtfully as Will nodded. Rising from his chair, Will leaned down unexpectedly to give Sarah a quick peck on the cheek as she flushed in pleasure at the gesture.  "I'll be out in the barn, then, feeding the animals.  Make sure Brian eats before he joins me; it's not a good idea to take medicine on an empty stomach."  Walking over to grab his favorite baseball cap off a hook located near the back door, he opened the squeaky screen door and disappeared, the lightweight door banging behind him.

 

"Oatmeal with fresh blueberries and some homemade wheat toast okay for today?" Sarah asked as Brian nodded with a slight smile of gratitude.

 

"Yeah, that's fine," he told her as he took a large sip of his black coffee, not caring at the moment that there was no sugar in it.  He just wanted something, _anything_ , to help quell the feeling of miniature jackhammers still clanging around in his head.

 

Sarah nodded as she walked over to the stove where she already had the oatmeal warming on a front burner.  Ladling up a generous amount of the sticky, hot cereal, she grabbed two pieces of her homemade wheat bread that had been pre-sliced before Brian came down and popped them into the toaster.  Placing the oatmeal down in front of her nephew a few seconds later, she pushed the small bowl of fresh blueberries over toward him as he smiled at the irony.

 

"Those look vaguely familiar," he told her dryly as she grinned back at him.  He reached over to spoon some on top of his cereal and sprinkle some sugar on top from a glass jar with holes in it before he closed his eyes and placed his fingers back on his temples.  The pain had abated somewhat, but it was still quite extreme.  He had learned his lesson - between falling off the damn fence last night and imbibing in way too much corn liquor, he felt like shit.  The only redeeming part of the night had been spending time with Justin, although that hadn't quite gone the way he had hoped, either.  And why did he have this nagging feeling that he had been singing, for fuck's sake?  Surely he had merely dreamed that up.

 

"Are you _sure_ you're up to doing your chores this morning?" Sarah asked quietly in concern.  Brian was normally quite meticulous in the way he dressed in a sort of 'bad-boy confronts the farm' manner.  Today, however, there were distinct bags under his eyes, his hair was mussed up like he hadn't combed it in days, and his clothes looked like the same ones he had worn yesterday.   Of course, her husband, who would never have been considered a fashion plate by any means, apparently hadn't even noticed.

 

Brian nodded as he slowly opened his eyes.  "Yeah, I'll be okay," he told her as he stared over at her thoughtfully.  There was just something about this woman that made him do things he would have never thought of doing before.  "Aunt Sarah?"

 

"Yes, Brian?" she asked, her brow furrowing in curiosity.  She thought her nephew looked decidedly confused, hesitant or both.

 

"I have a confession to make."

 

Sarah lifted an eyebrow.  "Oh?  Okay."  Whatever it was, she fervently hoped it wasn't something bad; she felt that Brian had just now started becoming more comfortable living with them.  The last thing she wanted to hear was that he was in some kind of trouble again.

 

Brian sighed.  "I do have a hell of a, uh,...a _really bad_ headache," he corrected himself as she nodded, thinking that was the confession, although Brian had already told her that.  "...But it's not because I have a migraine."

 

She eyed him in surprise.  "It's not?"  Brian shook his head as he gazed down at his quickly-cooling oatmeal; he hadn't touched a bite yet.  "Then why did you say that it _was_?"  She crooked one side of her mouth up in epiphany just then, as it came to her; of course.  "Because you didn't want your uncle to know the _real_ reason."

 

Brian inhaled a deep breath to calm himself before he blew it back out between his parted lips.  He nodded.

 

"So what IS the real reason, Brian?"

 

"Well, you remember yesterday when you asked me to put all those berries in the freezer downstairs?"  Sarah nodded.  "Well, I did a little exploring, and I opened up that old, white metal cabinet down there."

 

Sarah frowned.  "You mean that rusty old thing in the corner?"  Brian nodded.  "It's been so long since I've opened that I don't even remember what's in there."

 

"You don't?"

 

Sarah shook her head.  "Last I recall Will was going to store some old canning jars in there that we don't use anymore.  They were the pint-size ones, and I always can with the quart-size jars now.  Is that what you found?"   She still had no idea what this had to with Brian's headache.

 

Brian hesitated.  "Well...I found glass containers in there, all right, but they sure didn't have green beans or corn in them - at least not the solid type of corn, anyway."  He looked over at her meaningfully for several seconds until Sarah's face lit up with realization.

 

"No..." she murmured in shock as her face turned pale.

 

Brian frowned.  "Aunt Sarah?  Are you okay?"

 

"He told me he was going to destroy those," she whispered painfully.  "Will...why did you lie to me?"

 

"I don't understand," Brian told her in confusion.  "It was just some corn liquor - at least that's what Justin told me it was last night."

 

Sarah was the one who frowned now as Brian's words sunk in.  "Justin? What does this have to do with Justin?"

 

Brian averted his eyes in awkwardness and idly stirred his spoon in his oatmeal as he admitted, "That's the other part I needed to tell you about.  I...I took two bottles of the liquor out of the cabinet and brought them upstairs to try later.  I hid them in the broom closet in the hall.  Once you and Uncle Will went to bed, I came downstairs and took them out and walked outside to try a sip.  One taste led to another and another...until I came up with the idea to go pay Justin a call."  _Shit,_ he thought as he grimaced over his choice of words.  _Now I'm even starting to SOUND like one of them!_

Sarah covered her mouth with her hand so Brian wouldn't see her smiling over that statement.  She had the feeling all along that Brian was falling for the young man; that pretty much just cinched it in her opinion.  Her nephew seemed to be bringing his name up quite a bit lately.   "Well, I know moonshine can make you do some things you might not otherwise do," she told him diplomatically.  "What happened?"

 

Brian shrugged as he met her gaze.  "Nothing much.  We walked up to the cow pasture and sat on top of the fence for a while and talked.  Oh, and I tried my hand at some cow-tipping."  He wasn't about to admit to her about the kiss he and Justin had shared, or that he might have been singing, though; he honestly wasn't sure he had done that even, but he remembered the cow-tipping part of his adventure quite vividly.  "I found out that steers aren't very playful."

 

Sarah's eyes threatened to burst out of their sockets.  "You what?!  Brian, you can't tip a cow, especially a steer!  That's dangerous!"

 

Brian harrumphed.  "Yeah, Justin told me the same thing.  But I had to find out for myself the hard way."  He grinned over at her ruefully.  "Liquor kind of loosens up your inhibitions."

 

Sarah had to laugh at that statement.  "Yeah, I know."  Brian looked at her in shock as his aunt shrugged.  "Hey, I was young once, too, you know."  She peered over at her nephew; she had to know.  "Brian, you didn't do anything with Justin last night that you - or I - would regret, did you?"

 

Brian's eyes flashed in irritation; he was unable to hold back the profanity.  How long would he have to prove himself?  "Shit, Aunt Sarah!  What kind of person do you think I am?"  He realized that it was important to him that his aunt be proud of him, not ashamed.

 

Sarah reached over to place her hand on Brian's wrist.  "Brian, listen to me," she whispered soothingly in an attempt to placate him.  "I think when you came here you were a very troubled young man who needed guidance.  And I think you've changed a lot since you've been here.  I think you've done a lot of growing up.  But I _also_ think you're a very headstrong and passionate person.  One that is used to getting what he wants.  And _I_ think you are infatuated with that boy.  Am I not right?"   She lifted a brow meaningfully as she stared into his eyes without blinking.

 

"Maybe," he grudgingly admitted as she nodded.  He shook his head.  "But I would never do something with him that he didn't want me to do.  And, besides, he's really too young for me...We don't have that much at all in common..."

 

Sarah chuckled softly.  "You think love is that logical, Brian?"

 

Brian eyed her incredulously.  "Who said anything about _love_?" he snorted.  "I hardly know him."

 

"I agree," she replied softly.  "And you should definitely take things slowly.  I'm not saying you're in love with him, Brian.  I think it's way too soon for that, too, and he's very young.  But when it comes to being attracted to someone, rationality has a habit of flying out the window."  She squeezed his wrist as he looked over at her.  "Justin is very special, Brian.  I'm not surprised that you've figured that out, too."

 

Brian sighed; there wasn't any point in denying it any longer.  "But isn't he too young for me?" he insisted, not sure what exactly he wanted his aunt to say.

 

To his surprise, however, his aunt smiled over at him and shook her head.  "Will and I fell in love when I was Justin's age, and Will is ten years older than me; that's not that uncommon out here.  Oh, don't get me wrong; we spent time getting to know each other and didn't act on our feelings for quite a while.  But do I think it's impossible to fall in love at your age?  No, I think it depends on the person.  Look at Will and me.  We've been through some rough times, but we've managed to stay together through the good times and the bad.  Just take things slowly with him.  He has his whole life ahead of him and he needs to find his own path."

 

"That's part of the problem," Brian found himself confessing, aware that if he didn't get outside to do his chores soon his uncle would come looking for him.

 

Sarah frowned as she moved her hand to take a sip of her coffee as she eyed him curiously.  "What do you mean?"

 

"Justin's father treats him like shit," he growled.  "The other day he told me about wanting to attend Vanderbilt University to take equestrian therapy classes, but he feels like he can't go now because of how much his family depends on him to win all those races.  And his brother is a lazy, good-for-nothing bum."  Brian rubbed his face with his hands.  "And...And what good would it do, anyway, to get attached to him even if he DID stay here?  I won't be here after summer's over."

 

Sarah bit her lip, trying not to tear up over the mournful tone in Brian's voice.  Yes, Joan was her sister, but she had her doubts that she was providing this boy with what he needed:  love, reassurance, purpose, and responsibility, of which he was slowly discovering here.  "Is that what you want, Brian?  To go back home to Pittsburgh?"

 

Brian hurriedly downed the rest of his now-cold coffee; his headache had finally died down to a tolerable level now.  "I don't have a choice...Do I?" His voice was both sad but also hopeful as he looked over at her meaningfully.

 

Sarah chose to ignore the hopeful tone in Brian's voice for now, not wanting to call him out on it and make him embarrassed or promise him something that perhaps she couldn't deliver.  Any decision to let her nephew stay here would have to come from Joan and Jack, as well as her husband.  She thought she could actually persuade Will to let Brian stay longer than his legal requirements stated, provided that he kept up with his chores and found a job eventually, but she couldn't speak for his parents.  She smiled over at him tenderly.  "You never know," she finally whispered.  "We'll talk about it later, okay?  I'm sure your uncle's expecting you by now."

 

Brian nodded.  Just before he rose from his seat, he asked her, "Aunt Sarah, what did you mean a little while ago when you said that Uncle Will had lied to you about the liquor?  Justin told me that it belonged to Dale."

 

Sarah looked away from Brian, gazing out through the back, frilly-curtained window that overlooked the barn.  How many times had she done this very same thing when she had been looking for her son?  Even now, she could almost see him running toward the back door, Solomon close by his heels as they hurried in for supper.  She brushed the moisture away from her eye with an index finger as she felt Brian's hand on her shoulder.

 

"Aunt Sarah?"

 

She turned to bestow a watery smile on him and nodded.  "Yes, it did."  She smiled wistfully.  "He always did have a rebellious streak in him - kind of like you," she added as she peered over at Brian tenderly.  She wiped a couple of tears away from her eyes with the corner of her half-apron.  "Sorry about the waterworks," she whispered.  "It's just that Dale's birthday is coming up soon, and that always gets me a little weepier than normal."  Brian eyed her quietly for a few seconds before she explained, "After Dale died, I asked Will to get rid of all that liquor downstairs.  He promised me he would.  But obviously he didn't do it."

 

"Why do you think he didn't?"

 

Sarah shrugged.  "A couple of reasons, I guess.  First, after he died, he didn't want to have anything to do with Dale's belongings.  You know, your bedroom was kept locked and closed until you came, because it used to be our son's."

 

Brian nodded.  He had figured as much already, since it was the only other bedroom in the house.

 

His aunt took a deep breath before she added sadly, "Before you came, when he wasn't outside doing chores Will spent a lot of time down in the basement for no apparent reason, and when he came back up he always avoided me."   She let out a ragged breath.  "I think it was because he'd been drinking to help him forget the pain, even though he normally wouldn't touch the stuff."

 

Brian couldn't help feeling sorry for his aunt.  "I'm sorry, Aunt Sarah."  He reached over to clasp her hand in his and give it a squeeze as she smiled back at him gratefully.

 

She shook her head slightly in dismissal.  "It's okay, Brian.  Actually, I haven't seen him doing that lately thanks to you; despite what he says, I think you've been a good influence on him and he enjoys your company.  I think he missed having another male around the farm."

 

Brian snorted.  "You mean one to boss around."

 

Sarah grinned.  "Maybe.  At first.  He didn't know quite what to think when you first showed up; neither of us did," she admitted.  "But I think there's more to it than that now."  She patted his hand with hers as she advised, "Now you'd best get out there before he comes looking for you and the beast reappears."

 

He nodded with a knowing smile as he stood up.  He tried to sound nonchalant as he asked her in parting, "We're still going tonight to the social?  I mean, will you need me to help you carry some of your baked goods out to the truck later and carry them in?"  By the look of amusement on his aunt's face, though, he knew he wasn't fooling her about the real reason why he wanted to make sure they were going.

 

To her credit, though, his aunt merely smiled and nodded wisely, pretending there wasn't any more to his request than thoughtfulness.  "That would be nice, Brian.  Yes.  We'll be leaving around six-thirty."

 

Brian nodded as he walked over to the door to open it, finding he was looking forward to seeing a certain, blond neighbor once more this evening.  It would certainly make his day go a lot quicker now.

 

* * *

_Same Time - Taylor Farm Stables_

"Justin!" An excited, high-pitched squeal sounded as Justin turned around to look for the source.  He smiled as he recognized the teenage boy waving at him frantically from Vic's mobile home several yards away, taking a moment to finish unhitching Headstrong from the sulky and taking his gloves off to place them on the seat before he turned to greet him.

 

"Em!" Justin called out in delight as Vic's nephew came rushing up to him and swept him up into a big bear hug.  Emmett almost squeezed the breath out of him before his feet were able to touch the ground again.

 

"Vic told us you were coming back to visit for a few weeks!  How have you been?" he asked with a grin, unable to keep from admiring Emmett's quirky style of dress.  Today he was wearing a pale pink bowtie, a slate blue, swirled paisley, long-sleeved shirt with the cuffs rolled up, dark blue jeans with a big "E" silver belt buckle, and what appeared to be cranberry-colored alligator boots.

 

"You like them?" Emmett asked Justin as he noticed his friend peering down at his boots curiously.  "Had 'em dyed that color.  I like to tell people that I caught an alligator back home in the cranberry bogs, though; gets them every time."

 

Justin burst out laughing at his comment.  He was glad Emmett was here for a while;  he was always so good at taking his mind off other things when he was worried or stressed, two emotions he was feeling in abundance lately.  "You have a lot of alligators back home in Alabama?" he asked with an amused smile.

 

Emmett grasped his upper arm as he leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, "Honey, they have so many in the marshes back home they should start issuing licenses like they do for the dogs.  People run over them all the time; the damn things just sit in the middle of the highway like they're logs.  They're nasty critters, but they're not too smart.  They make for great fritters, though."

 

Justin crinkled his nose.  "You've eaten one?  What do they taste like?"

 

"Chicken.  Lots and lots of chicken."

 

"Really?"

 

Emmett nodded.

 

Justin giggled.  "Well, I don't think Colonel Sanders has anything to worry about up here."  Emmett grinned back at him as Justin asked, "You're going to be here for a couple of weeks?"

 

Emmett nodded as he glanced over at the sulky.  "Yeah.  Training for the next race?  Uncle Vic said there's a big one this weekend."

 

Justin nodded.  "Yeah, at Red Mill."  He smiled proudly.  "Headstrong's the odds-on favorite to win from what the paper said this morning."  Not surprisingly, his father had pointed that out first thing at the breakfast table; the sports page was the first section he looked at with his morning coffee, even before the agricultural news.  His father may not have had much luck finding accounting jobs around here, but he was NOT a stupid man; he certainly knew where his bread was buttered at the moment.

 

"Something wrong, Sweetie?"

 

Justin blinked, unaware that he had temporarily zoned out as he turned to eye his friend sheepishly.  "No, sorry; I just get a little preoccupied just before a big race."  He smiled at him reassuringly.  "Everything's fine.  I'm glad you're here for a visit, Em," he told him sincerely.  "You're going tonight, aren't you?"

 

"To the social?"

 

Justin nodded.

 

"Are you kidding?  And miss that superb pecan pie that always there?  My mouth's been watering for it ever since I got on the plane to come up here."  He leaned in closer to Justin as he looked around to make sure they were alone.  "And speaking of mouthwatering, where's that delectable big brother of yours?  I haven't seen him around yet."

 

Justin couldn't help rolling his eyes.  "He'd still have his ass in bed if he wasn't responsible for doing my chores this week," he growled.  "He's not too happy about it, either, but our father put his foot down and forced him."

 

Emmett, however, didn't seem too concerned about Justin's veiled comment regarding his brother's lack of productivity; it seems that love truly _was_ blind.  "Is he out in the barn, then?" Emmett asked hopefully.

 

Justin bit back the sigh that threatened to escape his lips.  "Well, he'd _better_ be, unless he wants our father to be pissed off at him."  He actually felt sorry for Emmett as his friend looked over at him with a decidedly pleased smile on his face.  He nodded.  "He should be over there feeding the animals and cleaning out the stalls if you want to go say hello to him."

 

Emmett nodded, his eyes alit with anticipation.  "Well, I think I'll just wander over that direction, then," he replied, trying to sound nonchalant.  He pulled at the ends of his bowtie as he asked, "Is he going tonight, too?"

 

Justin did sigh sympathetically now.  _Poor Em_.  He knew Jared wasn't the least bit interested in Emmett, even though the boy was sweet, funny, and attractive.  He wasn't HIS type - even though he did make him laugh - but he still hated to see him fruitlessly waste his time trying to get his brother's attention.  Jared had made no bones before about how he thought Emmett's fascination with him was a bother and a nuisance, and he wasn't subtle about ridiculing him over the dinner table after he came to visit his uncle the last time.  He was afraid Emmett was going to get hurt, but it was like a train wreck he was unable to stop.

 

"I think so," he finally told his friend as Emmett smiled in reaction.   "Mom and dad always make sure we all go together as a family."  Jared normally spent the entire time at the social grousing about how juvenile and hokey the whole event was, while at the same time scoping out potential guys to fuck out back behind the main activities barn.  His brother's cavalier treatment of other guys at the social was disgusting in his opinion, but he was helpless to do anything about it, just the same as he was going to be helpless to prevent what he assumed was going to happen with Emmett.  Maybe if the boy was lucky, though, Jared would give him the heave ho quickly so he didn't spend the rest of his time here pining for him like he did the last time.

 

"Well, I think I'll mosey over to the barn and say hey to him, then," Em decided with a smile.  "Think he'll like this outfit?"  He turned around slowly to give Justin a 180-degree view.

 

"Em..." Justin began hesitantly, not quite sure what he was going to say.

 

"Yeah?"

 

Justin paused; was it his place to interfere?  Besides, what exactly could he say?  _Jared's going to break your heart?  He thinks you're a buffoon and not worthy of his attention?  He laughs at you behind your back?_   No, he couldn't do that; he couldn't hurt this sensitive, sweet boy, even though he suspected Jared might wind up doing precisely that.  "Nothing," he finally said with a smile.  "I'm just glad you're here," he told him sincerely.  "It's good to see you again."

 

Em wondered if there was more that Justin was about to say, but he decided to just let it drop for now as he smiled back at him.  "You, too, Justin.  Catch you later?"

 

Justin nodded.  "Yeah; I have to do some more practicing, but I'm sure I'll see you tonight."  Em nodded as he turned and hurried off toward the barn; Justin watched him actually _skipping_ along the way like a little child about to go see his favorite pony.  He shook his head sadly; he couldn't imagine this ending well at all.

 

A few minutes later, however, he had hitched Headstrong back up to the sulky and was back out on the track for some more practice, his concerns temporarily pushed aside.

 

* * *

 

"Fuck!" Jared snarled as he reared back his arm and flung the stinky shovel in his hand toward the corner of the barn; one of their goats nearby bleated in fright over in his stall as Jared plopped down, cross-legged style, on top of the dirt floor in utter disgust.  If he had to shovel one more load of manure this morning, he was definitely going to puke.  He didn't even have his latest stash of weed anymore that he could use to calm him down, either, thanks to the Kinney boy snatching it from him.  Damn him and his brother!

 

He was still not only seething over being humiliated the other day, but dismayed and angered by what he had seen last night.  He wasn't used to his baby brother taking guys away from him, but for whatever reason Kinney seemed to have fallen for him.  And his attempt to pay Justin back for what he had done had fallen on deaf ears last night.  There was no way he was just going to take it lying down; that wasn't his way.  _If I can't have you, Kinney, well, then, neither can the squirt, either._

 

Just then, he heard a slight noise by the open barn doors, and his face broke out into a pleased smile.  _Perfect timing..._

"Em!" he called out, striving to place as much excitement as he could into his voice as he waved at the other boy.  "I was HOPING I would see you today!" Jared cried out in apparent delight as he wiped his hands on the thighs of his jeans and rose to stand as Emmett came walking up to him.  He had to force himself not to grimace at the other boy's choice of clothing:  a PINK bowtie and matching crocodile boots?  _Hideous_.

 

"You were?" Emmett stammered, thinking Jared was even better looking since the last time he had seen him.  He seemed to have grown another inch or two, also, and was currently dressed in a pair of well-worn, tight, faded, blue jeans that showed off his trim waist, and a lightweight, sky-blue cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up that exposed his muscular forearms.  He had some sweat on his forehead from working, and his shirt was unbuttoned a few buttons at the top to show off his pecs; in brief, it was a totally amazing look that made Emmett's pulse quicken in reaction.

 

Jared smiled seductively as he walked up to Emmett and lazily stroked an index finger down the middle of Emmett's shirt.  "You bet," he told him huskily as he continued to smile.  "When your Uncle Vic told me you would be coming back here, I couldn't wait to see you again."

 

Emmett frowned as he pointed out, "That's funny - you barely paid any attention to me at all when I came to visit _last_ year."

 

Jared looked shocked.  "No, that's not right at all!  How could you think that?  You didn't understand what I was doing.  Haven't you ever heard of playing hard to get?  It's not cool for my reputation if I go chasing after someone."

 

Emmett snorted.  "Well, if you'd played it any better you would have been up for an Oscar."

 

Jared pressed his body up against Emmett's until they were practically nose to nose with their nearly identical heights.  "Well, there's nobody to see us around here now, and I'm not running away, am I?"  He placed his hands on Emmett's upper arms as he leaned in to kiss the other boy's lips gently in greeting before pulling back.  "We'll have two whole weeks to get to know each other better this time," he leered, his voice seductive and low.  "I'd really like that; wouldn't you?"

 

Emmett's eyes widened as his face broke out into a pleased smile.  "Is my Aunt Lula a Southern Belle?  You bet I would!"

 

Jared's hands snaked up to wind themselves around Emmett's neck as he smiled.  "Good."  His face fell and he sighed heavily, however, as he abruptly let go of Emmett and turned his back on him to look out through the barn doors; off in the distance, he could see Kinney riding around on the Walker's old tractor doing some sort of chore, and his eyes narrowed in jealousy as he thought about what he had seen last night.  It was time to start putting his plan into motion.  "There's just one thing..."

 

Emmett's face took on a look of concern as he noticed Jared's sudden change in mood.  "What?"

 

Jared turned around; his face was awash with anxiety.  "I'm really worried about my little brother."

 

"Justin?  What _about_ him?  I just talked to him over by the stables and he seemed fine to me."

 

"Did he tell you about that other boy who's staying with the Walkers?  Their nephew, Brian?"

 

Emmett shook his head.  "No, he didn't say anything about him."

 

_That's a surprise_ , Jared couldn't help thinking.  _They certainly seemed chummy enough last night._ Aloud, he advised Emmett, "He's about the same age that we are.  His parents sent him here to stay with the Walkers as a last resort, and he's been nothing but trouble since then."

 

Emmett didn't like the sound of that; he really cared about Justin - not in a physical attraction sort of way like he did with Jared - but he genuinely liked the Taylor's younger son and hated the idea of something happening to him.  There was just something about Justin that made everyone naturally protective toward him.  "What _kind_ of trouble?"

 

Jared fought to keep the smile from his face as he shrugged.  "Well, apparently he stole a car back home and drag raced with it, and from what my dad told me he was given the choice of either going to jail or coming here to stay with his aunt and uncle.  The idea was that they were supposed to help straighten him out."  He grimaced.  "Unfortunately for us, it hasn't worked out that way.  As soon as he got here, he noticed how Justin was fawning over him, and he's been using it to his advantage ever since."

 

Emmett frowned.  "How do you mean?"

 

Jared appeared to look uncomfortable as he walked over and sat down on a bale of straw.  "You've got to promise me first that you won't tell Justin what I'm about to tell you, because if you do it could cause even _more_ problems."

 

Emmett's eyes widened in alarm as he walked over to sit down next to Jared.  "More problems?  How?"

 

Jared's eyes flashed.  "Promise me first," he demanded as Emmett finally nodded.  "Well, Justin told me the other day that this Brian has been coming on too strongly with him; he keeps pressuring him to have sex, but Justin isn't ready yet."  He paused as Emmett eyed him anxiously.  "And he said last night when he refused him again, he grabbed him so hard by the arms that he put bruises on his skin."

 

Emmett's mouth fell open.  "Oh, my God!  Are you serious?"  He thought back to his encounter a little earlier with his friend.  He didn't notice anything particularly different with him, although there HAD been that one moment when he thought Justin was about to confide in him about something but had changed his mind.  Did it have something to do with this other guy?  The one that was hurting him?  "Has he told your mom and dad?  And what about the Walkers?  He can't get away with that kind of shit!"

 

Jared reached over and grabbed onto Emmett's bicep.  "Well, you know Justin.  He's likes this guy, and doesn't want to get him into trouble; if this deal with the Walkers doesn't work out he'll be sent back to jail, so he begged me not to say anything to anyone.  He said this Brian apologized profusely right after it happened, and he _believes_ the guy!  But you know how these kinds of relationships are; the one who's in danger always makes up excuses for the bad guy."   Jared eyes bored into Emmett's as he pleaded, "I've got to find a way to break them up, Em, before he does something really bad to him."

 

Emmett nodded solemnly, his heart pounding in worry.  "But what can we do?  I still say you need to go talk to your parents - or to the Walkers."

 

Jared shook his head.  "I gave him my word, Em.  But maybe there's another way.  That's where you come in, because Kinney doesn't know YOU.   You _are_ going to the social tonight, aren't you?"

 

Emmett nodded cautiously.  "Yeah, I wouldn't miss it.  Why?"

 

Jarrett smiled.  _This was way too easy.._."Well, since Kinney's never met you, you're perfect for what I have in mind.  Are you willing to help break them up, then?  Before he does something awful to my brother?  Em, you're my last hope," he added for good measure, his voice breaking.

 

Emmett swallowed hard, but nodded.  "Sure.  But how?"

 

Jarred leaned in closer to his unsuspecting patsy.  "Here's what I have in mind..."


	15. Town Social

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian and Justin arrive at the town social and spend some time together; will a jealous brother manage to drive them apart?

_Brian and Justin arrive at the town social and manage to spend some time together; but will a jealous brother come between them?_

 

 

_Walker Farm - 5:15 p.m._

Sarah smiled as her two 'boys' wandered back into the house.  "Just in time," she told them.  "I have dinner ready.  Come and eat.  We need to leave in about an hour," she reminded them.  Just like clockwork, she was starting to get a little nervous now that it was almost time to go.  She consistently won a blue ribbon for her blueberry cobbler each year, but she always felt this way just before time nonetheless.  She knew it was silly - it didn't really mean all that much - but it was still a thrill when she won.

 

"Don't get your apron all twisted," Will kidded her gruffly as he sat down at his customary place at the far end of the table as Brian walked in directly behind him and sat down in the middle.  "You know you'll bring another ribbon home tonight, Sarah."

 

She blushed at how easily her husband knew her as she walked over and placed a large bowl of green beans down in the middle of the table to join the pot roast, glazed carrots, and whole wheat rolls already there.  "You don't know that for sure, William," she chided him softly as she  moved to sit, flushing with pleasure as Brian stood up and pushed her chair back for her to sit down.  She nodded her gratitude as he sat back down and she handed him the green beans.  "There could always be some new competition."

 

Will snorted.  "Not if they know what's good for them," he vowed.  "No one can beat your berry cobbler, Sarah."

 

Sarah beamed at the compliment; since Brian had come to live with them, she was slowly seeing more and more of her husband reemerging, and it filled her with cautious hope.  She cleared her throat to try and prevent the sentimental tears from falling as she nodded.

 

She turned to her nephew to ask, "How's the headache, Brian?  Better?"

 

Brian smiled over at her softly, knowing she would keep his confidence.  "Yeah, much," he told her as she nodded back at him.

 

"Now both of you, eat up!" she gently admonished them.   "I don't want to be late!"

 

"Yes, Ma'am," both Brian and his uncle said at the same time as she laughed.

 

* * *

_hirty Minutes Later_

Will walked over and handed his wife the last of the dinner dishes as she rinsed them before placing them into the hot, sudsy water in the sink.  Wiping her hands on a towel nearby, she turned to face her husband.  "Will, I want to ask you something."

 

Will leaned against the counter next to her, instantly identifying that no-nonsense tone of voice.  "Okay, what is it?" he asked her quietly.

 

"Brian and Dale are close to the same size," she began.

 

"I guess," her husband grudgingly acknowledged, somehow knowing where this was heading as he eyed her warily.  "So?   Why are you bringing this up?"

 

Sarah sighed.  "I think you know why.  Brian needs some different clothes for tonight's social.  And Dale's things are just gathering dust upstairs in the closet..."

 

"No, Sarah!" Will snapped.  "Leave it alone."

 

Sarah turned to place her hands on her hips defiantly.  "Will, be reasonable!  Brian could only bring so many clothes with him.  And I can only keep washing his work clothes over and over again before they fall apart.  They're the same build and, according to what I saw when I did his laundry, they wear the same size.  There's no reason why he can't use some of Dale's things and put them to good use, both while doing chores and tonight."

 

Will brushed his hand through his hair.  He knew Sarah was right; it was logical to let go of the past and move on.  But somehow it felt like a betrayal to his son; almost like he was forgetting him.  "Those were our son's things, Sarah," he feebly tried one last time, but even to his _own_ ears the excuse sounded lame at best.

 

"Yes, they were," she replied stiffly.  "And the best way to honor him would be to stop treating his things as a shrine or a part of him and let his cousin get some use out of them.  They're just clothes, shoes, and belt buckles, Will; they're _things,_ not HIM."  She reached over to cup her husband's hand over her heart.  "THIS is where Dale is, Will, here; not in a pair of boots or a cowboy hat.  Here."

 

 Will stared into his wife's eyes, bright with the beginning of unshed tears before he finally nodded.  "Yeah.  Okay," he whispered hoarsely as she nodded back at him.

 

She squeezed his hand before letting it go.  "Good.  I know that Dale is looking down on both of us in approval.  And I know he would be the first one to tell us he would never want us to forget him, but that we still have our own lives to live.  We have another young man depending on us right now, Will.  Brian's a good boy - he could be a useful, productive _man_ , too, if we only keep providing him with the right guidance."

 

"Well, I'll reserve judgment on that one," Will huffed quietly, but silently he knew she was right.  Brian was slowly transforming into a responsible person, despite his previous, rebellious ways.  He had a ways to go yet, but even he could admit the boy had some good qualities that could be nurtured.  "Now I'd best be gettin' upstairs and get ready for this shindig."

 

Sarah reached over and quickly gave him a peck on the cheek as he turned to go.  "Thank you," she whispered as he nodded.

 

Quickly washing the last dinner plate, she hurried to dry it and put it away before hurrying to join him upstairs to get dressed.

 

* * *

_Six P.M. - Taylor Farmhouse_

"Justin!  We have to go NOW, or we're going to be late!"

 

"I'll be right down, Mom!" was the reply as Jennifer sighed.

 

"What is taking that boy so long?" Craig groused as he impatiently stood by the backdoor shaking his head.  "Jared was ready a long time ago," he pointed out as he looked over at their older son.

 

Jared smirked as he sat at the kitchen table.  "I don't need as much time to make myself look good," he boasted.  He was dressed to the nines tonight, with a dark green, long-sleeved shirt with pearl buttons, a silver bolero tie with a crossed, twin-pistol design, a pair of black jeans, and black, leather boots.  He looked quite striking with the green shirt contrasting against his darker hair, Jennifer had to admit, as she silently chided her son over his pompous attitude.  It was one thing to be confident and assertive, she thought, and quite another to be a braggart.   If Jared spent as much time trying to find gainful employment as he did preening at the mirror and bragging about himself, he would be rich indeed and Justin wouldn't have to shoulder so much of the financial responsibility.

 

"I'll go check on him," she offered finally as time continued to drag on.

 

"Well, either he's ready in the next five minutes, or we're leaving without him - family togetherness or not," Craig warned as Jennifer hurried down the hallway and up the steps toward her youngest son's room.

 

From his place at the table, Jared smiled.  Normally, he would have been ticked off at Justin for taking so long, because he knew what the reason had to be:  He was no doubt primping to make himself look good for Kinney.  But he was actually wasn't worried since he had drafted Emmett earlier to help him break them up.  He was going to enjoy himself tonight immensely as a result, and when Kinney went looking for a 'diversion' later, he would promptly tell him to go to hell - _after_ he fucked his ass into oblivion so he would know what would be missing, that is.

 

* * *

 

Justin frowned as he stood in front of his dresser mirror, turning one way and then the other to observe his appearance.  He felt so damn jittery since he found out that Brian would be at the social tonight.  Normally he wouldn't spend nearly as much time worrying about how he looked, but tonight was different.

 

Frowning as he looked at his hair, he licked his palm to try and flatten a tuft of misbehaving locks as he heard a noise in the doorway; he turned to look sheepishly at his mother.  "Sorry, mom," he apologized.

 

She eyed him with a mixture of both sympathy and amusement.  "Justin...You look fine, Honey.  Let's go."

 

He sighed in resignation as he studied himself critically one final time in his dresser mirror.  He very rarely had to get dressed up for anything out here in the country, so he had been relegated to wearing an outfit he normally only wore for occasions such as funeral visitations or weddings.  It was a chocolate brown, rayon sport jacket, a maroon shirt with thin, gold pinstripes, and dark brown corduroy jeans.  Thankfully he had a decent pair of dark brown boots to compliment his look, a Christmas present courtesy of his parents from the past year.

 

"You really think so?" he asked as he bit his lip fretfully with the nail of his thumb.

 

Jennifer walked up to place her hands on her son's shoulders as she smiled at his reflection in the mirror.  "You look wonderful, Justin; really.  And I'm sure everyone else will think so, too.  Including Brian."

 

Justin's eyes widened as he turned to look into her eyes, his heart skipping a beat at the mention of the other boy's name.  "Brian? Why do you say that?"

 

She smiled.  "Honey, it's no secret you have a crush on him.  Why else would you have agreed to go out for a walk with him last night?  That IS all that happened, though...Isn't it?" she asked quietly, trying her best not to sound too concerned.  She knew Justin had a level head on his shoulders, but she wasn't so sure about Kinney's motives regarding her tenderhearted son.  And he was quite a bit older than Justin.

 

Despite his best intentions, Justin blushed in reaction to her question.  He wasn't quite willing to divulge to his mother that there was a little more to his encounter with Brian last night in addition to than just a walk under the starlight while his companion discovered the joys of corn liquor and cow tipping.  "Yeah, Mom, that's all there was to it," he told her simply.   "Really.  Don't worry; I know how to take care of myself."

 

She straightened out the lapels of her son's jacket, a little uncomfortable with the direction their conversation was heading as she heard Craig calling in exasperation from downstairs, grousing at them to hurry up.  "I...I just want you to stay safe, Honey," she told him as she placed her hands on either side of his neck and gazed into his eyes.

 

"I know," he whispered, realizing exactly what she meant.  "I promise I will be," he told her sincerely.

 

She nodded, knowing that would have to be sufficient for now.  "Okay; we'd better get going, then; you know how impatient your father can be."  Justin nodded as she slid her hand around his waist and they walked toward the door.  "Oh, wait just a minute," she abruptly said as she scurried out into the hall and down to her and Craig's bedroom, walking over to her custom-made, oak jewelry box to retrieve a small item wrapped in plain, white tissue paper.

 

Hurrying back to Justin's room and giving Craig a shout out that they were on their way down, she rushed back to Justin's side.  Holding out her hand, Justin frowned.

 

"What's this?" he asked curiously.

 

Jennifer smiled.  "Open it."

 

He peered over at her as she nodded in encouragement before he took the small object from her hand and carefully unwrapped it, revealing a black, leatherette bolero tie; the slider was an oval picture depicting a black, wild stallion with a white background in a gold-tone frame.

 

 

He gasped softly in recognition as he stared at it.  "This belonged to grandpa, didn't it?" he asked as one finger lovingly rubbed itself over the smooth, slightly raised frame.  "I remembered him wearing this all the time; it was his favorite, wasn't it?"  He lifted his eyes to stare over at her.

 

She nodded.  "Yes," she confirmed with a smile.  "And I know he planned on giving it to you one day...before he got sick and didn't get the chance.  But I promised him when I thought you were ready that I would see that you got it."  She paused for a moment to lovingly gaze over at her youngest son.  "I think you've more than earned it, Sweetheart.  I thought you might want to wear it tonight."

 

Justin's eyes gleamed in remembrance; he had adored his grandfather, and just the thought that he could wear something tonight that meant so much to him made his heart swell.  "I'd like that," he whispered in a choked voice as Jennifer walked over and took it out of his hand.  Placing it over his head, she pulled the slider to tighten it up and stood back to observe her handiwork.  "You look very handsome," she told her son sincerely as he blushed at the compliment.  Her eyes watered.  "You're growing up so fast."

 

"Mom."  He rolled his eyes as she hastily wiped the tears away.  "Come on, we'd better go before Dad blows a gasket."

 

She laughed softly in agreement.  "Yeah, let's go," she concurred as they finally walked side by side down the hallway to the steps, arriving at the kitchen a few minutes later.

 

"Finally!" Craig grumbled as he promptly pushed open the back door and went outside to go start up the truck.

 

Jared eyed his brother intently, feeling aggravated over how good the little squirt looked.  In his outfit, Justin actually had cleaned up quite nicely, he grudgingly had to admit.  But he still would never come up to his standards of excellence, and he would still find himself on the short end of the stick before the night was over.  Maybe he wouldn't wind up with Kinney after all, but even if he didn't, neither would Justin, either.

 

"Jared, will you grab that box, please?" Jennifer asked her son, indicating the small, wooden crate of homemade honey she was taking to be entered in the judging contest.  She was particularly proud of this year's product and had high hopes of getting a ribbon in the miscellaneous category.  It wasn't that any prize money would be paid to her, but the publicity and subsequent sales she could possibly generate as a result would be valuable.

 

Jared sighed heavily, but complied as he picked up the wooden crate and proceeded to walk over to the back door.  "Well?" he pressed as he looked over at Justin.  "Let's go, Squirt!  We're already late as it is thanks to you!"

 

"Oh, for the love of..." Justin shook his head in aggravation before he proceeded to follow their mother over to the door; a few minutes later, Jennifer and Craig were seated in the cab with Justin and his brother riding in the back as they usually did, sitting on a cushion of straw spread out on the floor of the truck's bed.

 

The two brothers rode in silence for a few minutes in the dark, starry sky until Jared asked, "What are YOU so dressed up for?  I thought that outfit was too big for you anyway."

 

Justin glared over at him as they hit a bump in the dirt road, causing him to grasp the cold metal of the truck bed's frame.  "Well, I grew into it," he retorted.  "What is wrong with you, anyhow, Jared?  Why have you been on my case so much lately?  It's not the FIRST time you've had to do my chores before a race."

 

"Yeah, I LOVE shoveling shit out of all the animal stalls and bonding with the pigs wallowing in their slop," he retorted.  "There's nothing like the smell of fresh animal dung in the morning."

 

Justin huffed in disgust.  "You're just pissed off because you can't work on your precious car this week," he remarked.  He paused for a moment.  'Or is it something else?  Or should I say _someone_ else?  "

 

Jared bristled, deciding there was no need to disguise his jealousy any longer.  "Don't flatter yourself, Squirt.  He's just playing with you.  When he gets what he wants - and I'm sure he hasn't, because otherwise he'd be long gone by now - he won't want anything else to do with you.  He'll move onto the next guy who can give him what he wants."

 

"That's not true!" Justin cried out, secretly concerned that perhaps his brother was right.  "He's not like that."

 

Jared guffawed.  "Oh, really?  Why ELSE would he be interested in you?  He's MY age, Justin!  You know what they say - why go out and buy milk when you can get it from the cow?"  He laughed; he couldn't make out much of his brother's face, but he knew him well enough to assume if he could it would be red with embarrassment and indignation.  Up until now, he hadn't been 100% sure that his brother and Kinney hadn't _already_ had sex, but from the way Justin was defending him, he knew now that they hadn't, and it filled him with a sense of smug satisfaction.  "Yeah, as soon as he's had his fill of YOU, he'll drop you faster than last year's John Deere model."

 

"You don't know what you're talking about, Jared!  Just shut the hell up!"  Justin pursed his lips tightly together in doubt, however, as his biggest fear began to rise once more to the surface.  Maybe Jared WAS right; what did he have to keep someone like Brian Kinney interested?  No, he told himself as he steadfastly refused to believe that; he _wouldn't_ believe that, not after the kisses and talks they had shared.  There was more than that between them; he could tell.

 

Jared snickered.  "Suit yourself, Squirt.  Let him fuck you and get it over with.  But better enjoy it while you can, because that'll be the LAST fuck you'll get from him."

 

Justin's eyes narrowed in anger.  "You're just jealous," he declared flatly as he continued to hold onto the edge of the truck frame with his right hand as the truck dodged some of the ruts and potholes in the dirt road.

 

"Jealous?" his brother retorted in seeming disbelief.  "Of _you_?  You overestimate yourself."

 

"No, you are," Justin persisted, his voice rising in certainty.  "You're angry and you're jealous because Brian's interested in ME, not you, and you can't deal with that, can you?"

 

"Shut up, Justin!" Jared snarled, his eyes flashing in fury.

 

Now it was Justin's turn to scoff.  "I thought so.  How's it feel... _Sport_?"

 

"I told you; shut the fuck up, Justin, or I'll..."

 

Suddenly the truck came to an abrupt stop as both boys had to scurry to hurriedly grab onto the bedrail to keep from toppling over.  A few seconds later the driver's side door opened and slammed shut as their father came stomping over to their side.  "What the hell is going on back here?" he demanded.  He stood there with his hands on his hips as he stared at both boys.  "I could hear both of you screaming at the top of your lungs!"

 

"We were just having a difference of opinion," Jared told him.

 

"About what?"   No answer.  He turned to his youngest son then. "Justin?"

 

Justin knew there was no way he was going to tell their father it was over Brian, and he suspected that Jared sure as hell wasn't going to, either, so he decided to provide another plausible answer.    "He's still complaining about doing my chores."

 

Jared opened his mouth to quickly correct that - well, not exactly correct it, because it wasn't a lie - but he just as quickly decided not to provide the _real_ reason, either.  He figured it wouldn't score him any points with his father if told him the truth, and frankly it would be embarrassing to admit that his little brother was more of an attraction to Kinney than HE was.  After all, he had his pride - and his reputation - to consider.  And besides, the problem would be resolved soon enough at the social.  So he wisely chose not to say anything at all.  Unfortunately, his father didn't choose the same path.

 

"What?!" he bellowed, his voice carrying for what seemed like miles around the quiet countryside.  "Jared, I already TOLD you time and time again that when Justin is practicing for a race..."

 

"Yeah, yeah, I get it!" Jared groused, still annoyed by that situation as well.  "I have to take over his chores.   That doesn't mean I have to like it, though."

 

The quiet opening of the passenger door went unnoticed by the three others as Jennifer disembarked form the truck's cab and, shaking her head in exasperation, walked over to Justin's side of the truck.  With the motor idling now and her window rolled partially down, she could clearly hear everything being said outside and felt it was time to intervene.  She was getting so tired of having to play peacemaker among her family - and of having her youngest son caught in the middle.

 

"I didn't ASK if you liked it, Jared!" Craig was saying as Jennifer sighed heavily.

 

"Craig!  CRAIG!" she repeated a little more loudly, catching him in between his tirade.  "Now is not the time or the place to discuss this; if we don't get going now we'll definitely be late, and I have to get the honey registered with the judges before it starts.  We've already discussed this time and time again; just tell Jared if he doesn't do as you say that you won't let him work on his car afterward."

 

"Mom!"

 

"Shut up, Jared!" Craig growled as his oldest son started to protest once more.  He could hear Justin huff in disgust across from him.  He brushed his hand through the top of his head in agitation.  "Okay, okay," he acknowledged to Jennifer as he inhaled a deep breath and let it out to release some anger.  "You heard your mother.  But if I hear one more peep out of either one of you on the way into town, I WILL turn this truck around and we WILL go home.  And before you say that's what you want to do anyway," Craig said as he turned to glare over at his oldest son in the dimness, "I WILL keep you from working on that damn car even AFTER this week is over, you got it?"   Silence ensued, except for some labored, angry breathing.  "I said - you got it, Jared?  Answer me!"

 

Jared let out a harsh breath.  "Yeah, yeah, I got it!  Whatever!"

 

"Justin, that means you, too.  No more yelling and arguing; if the both of you can't be civil and say something nice to each other, then don't talk at all.  You understand me?"

 

Justin huffed out an angry breath of his own.  He hadn't started it; well, not exactly anyway.  "Okay," he muttered.  "I'd rather not talk to him right now anyway."  Silently he mourned the loss of the previous camaraderie he and Jared used to share.  Until a few years ago, they had been a lot closer and used to tell each other everything.  As he had gotten older, however, and begun to recognize his sexuality a little more - and had started to attract the attention of some of the other males in town as well as achieve some recognition for his art and his racing ability - Jared's jealousy had begun to flare to the surface and their closeness had waned.  Sometimes, however, he wished they could return to the bond they used to have, but it seemed it might be irrevocably broken forever now.

 

"That sounds like a smart decision," Craig retorted.  "Jen, get back in the truck and let's get going."

 

Jennifer rolled her eyes at her husband's brusque tone before she reached over to squeeze Justin's shoulder briefly in support and walked back over to the door to get in.  Craig remained rooted in place for a few seconds before he shook his head and joined her in the truck.  The rest of the drive, not surprisingly, was made in relative silence.

 

* * *

_Cultural Dairy Barn - Versailles_

Brian's eyes widened in surprise as he and his aunt and uncle arrived in town and they began to enter a brick-paved driveway heading toward their ultimate destination.  From the way everyone had been talking, he figured this 'town social' was being held in someone's weathered, old barn; kind of like some sort of Amish-style corn husking where everyone sat around on bales of hay, chewing on a strand of straw or talking with their mouths full of a chaw of tobacco as they get caught up on what had been going on in their humdrum lives.  And while it WAS apparently in a barn, it was quite a barn.  Not that he had seen a lot of them, but THIS barn was huge; white with a gracefully, sloping, light-gray roof and a set of double-X doors.

 

 

His mouth hung open in shock.  "Holy shit," he murmured.

 

"Brian, language," was the instant reply from the cab of the truck; Will had the window partially open to let in some air.

 

Brian rolled his eyes at the expected rejoinder but had to grin slightly; he would have expected nothing less as a response from him.

 

A few minutes later, they pulled off into the grass and parked next to a myriad of other trucks with a few cars sprinkled in between as he hopped down from the antique vehicle.  Opening up the back of the truck bed, he reached to grab a large box holding his aunt's prized cobbler along with the stacks of deviled eggs she had made, just in time for his aunt and uncle to join him.  He gazed up at the impressive structure; now that they were closer it appeared even larger.  "That's some barn," he marveled as he took in the angles and curves along with its massive size; a large steeple jutted out of the top, and it had several windows running down the side of it.

 

 

Sarah smiled as she nodded.  "Isn't it beautiful?  It was built in the early 1900's as part of a working dairy farm for a hospital of all things, but it was abandoned a long time ago.  Several years ago, the townspeople came together and decided to convert it into a place where we could have activities.  They have a wonderful quilt show here every year, along with square dances and an antique farm machinery show and a flea market on the weekends."  She gazed at it wistfully.  "I'm so glad they didn't tear it down; you don't see barns like this anymore."

 

Although Brian wasn't an expert on architecture, he couldn't help agreeing that it was quite impressive just the same.  He nodded as he hefted the box a little higher in his arms and they began to walk toward the double doors at the end of the barn; several other townspeople were either mingling nearby or walking inside as his aunt and uncle acknowledged them.  Not surprisingly, his aunt seemed to receive a much warmer welcome than his uncle, even though everyone seemed to greet them with either a polite nod, a handshake or even a kiss on the cheek in his aunt's case.  Brian soon lost track of the names of everyone his aunt saw fit to introduce him to as they walked inside and he got a look at the interior.  It was lit up with several banks of recessed lighting at the top of the tall, exposed ceiling; some large, white ceiling fans slowly rotated above, providing a light breeze along with the several windows that were raised to let in some additional air.  Alongside the sides of part of the barn were wooden, staggered shelves to hold the baked goods that were to be auctioned off; toward the rear of the barn appeared to be a more open area for other exhibitions or events.  Wooden, felt-padded benches - pews actually that appeared to have been salvaged from churches - had been given new lives as places to sit and chat with other locals, and were scattered throughout the large structure in the middle and corners of the building.

 

A small stage was set up in the center of the building along the opposite wall with chairs facing it; a group of four men, all clad in overalls and plaid shirts and one wearing a straw hat - were already playing a lively bluegrass tune. The entire inside was alive with a hum of activity, from the music to the animated chatter and the laughter heard all around them.

 

"Brian, would you give that box to that woman over there by that table?" Sarah instructed her nephew, indicating a hard, plastic, white rectangular table near the front door.  "My name's already on all of the items; just make sure they give you a ticket back for them, okay?"  Brian nodded as he walked over and gladly placed the heavy box down on the table.  He had to spend a few minutes explaining his relation to his aunt - everyone seemed to want to know everyone else's business around here, he decided - before he rejoined his aunt and uncle who were standing nearby.

 

"Well, if it isn't my favorite baker!" a booming voice suddenly erupted from nearby as a portly, average-height, middle-aged man wearing jeans, a checkered shirt, and a pair of dark green suspenders waddled up to them.  "I was starting to get worried that my favorite dessert wasn't going to be in the judging tonight."

 

Sarah beamed over at him.  "Now you know better than that, Clay," she chided him with a smile.  "You know I look forward to this just as much as you do."

 

The man who resembled an Americanized version of an oriental Buddha clamped his hand on Will's back as he told him conspiratorially, "She's a keeper, Will.  If I had THIS little lady fixing MY meals at home, I'd weigh twice as much!"

 

Brian had to clamp his mouth shut to keep from make a snarky comment as Will nodded at him in agreement, choosing not to state the obvious, either.  Instead, he smiled over at his wife to reveal, "We don't eat like this all the time, Clay; but you're right," he added softly, "she IS a keeper."  Sarah's eyes lit up at the compliment as Will proceeded to introduce his nephew to the man, Brian not detecting any hint of scorn in his voice and perhaps even a bit of pride as he told the other man, the owner of the local feed mill, about the new 'addition' to their family with Checkers' new calf.

 

As the two men excused themselves a few minutes later to wander over and talk to a group of farmers several feet away, Brian tried to casually look around as if he were sizing up the rest of the facility, but he didn't fool his aunt at all.

 

"I don't think they're here yet," Sarah told him softly by his side as she looked over at him.

 

"Who?" he asked, trying to sound obtuse but failing miserably.

 

Sarah grinned.  "I think you know who; they normally get here a few minutes later than we do.  Not really sure why, but it's almost a tradition with them.  Want to come and look at some of the exhibits with me?"

 

Brian gave her a long-suffering look.  "What?  Of rutabagas, lettuce, and the contest over who can grow the biggest pumpkin in the valley?  No, thanks."

 

Sarah tried to look aghast as she replied with a laugh, "You are such a city snob, Brian Kinney!  First of all, those are all not in season right now, and second of all, we ARE a little more exciting than vegetables and hay."

 

Brian gave her an amused look.  "Oh, really?  Oh, yeah - I forgot about my recent role as a midwife."  He sniffed the air as he replied, "Speaking of which, I smell the distinctive aroma of cow manure.  I hope you're not going to tell me they forgot to remove some of the cows from the dairy barn, are you?  I think I've seen more than my share of those already."

 

She grinned.  "Yeah, between the cow delivering and the cow tipping - or at least the attempt - no doubt you've seen enough cows by now.  It's probably from the cow chip contest."

 

Brian guffawed as he stared over at her.  "Cow chip contest?  Is that a new ice cream flavor?'

 

She laughed in amusement, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling as she told him, "I certainly hope not.  No, it's kind of like horseshoes, only with dried up cow dung instead.  There're even rules you have to follow to enter.  They're holding it out back in a few minutes out in the field before it starts to get too dark; why they don't move up the time of the town social to earlier in the day so the light isn't a problem is beyond me, but that's the time we've always done it and everyone here is very set in their ways."

 

"Tell me about it," Brian told her dryly as he observed his uncle chatting rather amiably with a couple of other denim-clad, suspendered men.   He watched as several men, including his uncle, began to slowly shuffle to the opposite end of the barn toward another set of double doors.  "Don't tell me HE'S going to participate?" Brian asked in surprise.

 

"He might," Sarah replied as she watched him walk away.  "He used to be a pretty good pitcher back in high school, as well as a great horseshoe player.  He used to bring home a ribbon quite often for it, too," she told him as her voice softened.  "Before Dale died, anyway."

 

Another tune started up at the bandstand as Brian eyed his aunt thoughtfully.  "Aunt Sarah..."

 

"Brian, please," she implored.  "Not tonight.  Not when your uncle is finally acting more like himself."

 

"But..."

 

"I know we owe you an explanation; after all, he was your cousin.  But not tonight.  Soon; when your uncle isn't around.  He's beginning to come out of the deep, dark hole he's been in - largely in part to you being here with us - but he still can't talk about it yet.  Let's just enjoy tonight and we can sit down and discuss it some other time, okay?  I promise."

 

Brian sighed in frustration.  Well, he was going to get to the bottom of that big mystery, one way or the other.  Perhaps he could talk to Justin about it later tonight - that is, if the little shit ever shows up.

 

"Okay," he told his aunt with a short nod.  "Why don't you show me around this palace in the meantime?"

 

She grinned in relief.  "Come right this way - and you can see the dried apple doll exhibit."

 

"Oh, joy," Brian replied drolly as he began to follow her down the middle of the aisle way.

 

* * *

_Five Minutes Later_

Justin's heart was hammering in his chest as they entered the barn; it hadn't been too hard to spot the Walkers' antique truck parked outside in the grass, so he knew that Brian's aunt and uncle had to be here - and he hoped Brian, also.  He had no reason to believe he had changed his mind and decided not to come, but until he could see him he couldn't be sure.

 

"Ooh, there it is!" Emmett exclaimed excitedly a few feet behind him; he and his Uncle Vic had arrived at almost the same exact time as the Taylors and they had walked in together.  "I can almost smell that pecan pie now!"

 

Justin grinned as he noticed the social's cake walk set up right where it always was each year; Emmett couldn't stop talking about the 'succulent' PEA-CON pie he had enjoyed last year after his win.  He truly thought if Em didn't have another chance to win Sophie Mason's prize-winning pie again this year, he would be thrown into an abyss of depression.

 

"If you boys will excuse me - and ma'am," he added in deference to Jennifer, "I think I'll mosey on over to the cake walk and scope out my chances."  He turned to look over at Justin.  "Want to come with me?"

 

Justin nodded with a smile.  "Sure."  Silently, he thought he could also check to see if Sarah Walker's blueberry cobbler was on display for judging; if it was, then he knew that Brian was probably around somewhere.  He turned to his parents.  "Can we just meet back at the truck later?" he asked hopefully.  The last thing he wanted to do was tag along with his parents - and even worse, _Jared_.  Despite the rather awkward way he and Brian had parted last night, he still wanted some time alone with him.

 

Craig eyed him intently; not sure if that was such a good idea, but unable to really formulate a reason for saying no; while Vic's nephew was a flighty one, he didn't appear to be irresponsible.  "11:00 sharp," he told Justin tersely.  "Make sure you're out by the truck and ready to go."

 

Justin nodded, knowing it wouldn't do any good to try and wheedle any extra time out of him.  "Let's go, Em," he urged the other boy as he grasped Emmett's arm and began to walk away.

 

Jared smiled as he watched them go; this was perfect. It was working out even better than he had hoped.  It certainly didn't hurt that Justin actually considered Emmett a friend; that would make his plan so much easier to implement.  Now all he had to do was make sure that he succeeded.

 

"Dad, I'm going to go watch the cow chip throwing contest," Jared told him and his mom.  "I'll just meet the two of you at the truck at eleven like Justin."

 

Craig nodded.  "Just see that you watch the time, Jared," he cautioned him as the older boy rolled his eyes.

 

"I know how to tell time, Dad," he retorted.

 

Craig's eyes flashed.  "Watch your manners, Jared!"

 

Jared sighed heavily as he held up his hands in surrender.  "Okay, okay; I'll meet you in the parking lot at 11."  He nodded and turned to go, heading off toward the back of the building where he hoped to find Brian.

 

Jennifer shook her head.  "You let him get away with way too much, Craig," she muttered in disgust.  "I think as soon as this next race is over, we all need to sit down as a family and figure out a redistribution of just who does what back home.  You know Justin won't be around forever."

 

Craig held up his hand in exasperation; was he going to have to hear the same old spiel again?  "Can we just drop the subject tonight, Jen?  Let's just try and enjoy ourselves for one night without all the bickering, okay?"

 

But she wouldn't be quite that easily dissuaded.  "Promise me first that we WILL sit down and discuss divvying up the chores for the boys after Saturday's race."  She left no question in her voice that she wouldn't accept anything less.

 

Craig sighed.  "All right; Monday morning we'll all sit down and try to come to a mutually-agreeable resolution; happy?"

 

Jennifer really didn't trust Craig to follow through with his promise, but she didn't see any other alternative at the moment, so she finally nodded in agreement.

 

* * *

 

Brian stood next to his uncle, his mouth slightly open as he watched several men take turns hefting a large-sized, flat, disc before they reared back to pitch it into the air like some javelin thrower at the Olympics.  At least they were wearing work gloves, but that still didn't do much to tamper his distaste.  "I can't believe this," he muttered as his uncle next to him smiled slightly at him in amusement over his reaction.

 

"Been doing it for years," he told his nephew.  "It is what it is, Brian; this is life in the country.  We get our enjoyment out of more simple things."

 

"Enjoyment?" Brian scoffed softly as the two of them continued to watch the participants; several men nearby were hooting and hollering like they were at a boxing match rather than observing farmers flinging cow dung up into the air to see how far it could traverse before it came back down to Earth.  "This is about as enjoyable as a hangnail."

 

Will couldn't help grinning as a particularly pungent whiff of manure suddenly filled the air and he watched his nephew's nose crinkle in disgust.  "Sure you wouldn't like to give it a whirl, Brian?  Didn't you tell Sarah that you played baseball in high school?  You'd be a natural," he teased him.

 

"No thanks," Brian responded dryly as he shook his head over how excited everyone was.  "I wouldn't want to take all that enjoyment away from them."  He brushed his hand through his unruly hair as he announced, "I think I'll go back inside and look around."

 

Will nodded, watching the proceedings in rapt attention.  "Just stay close by so we don't have to go searching for you when we leave.  By the way, there're some games over around the other side of the building you might find more interesting."  He quirked one side of his mouth up as he advised his nephew, "They usually give away stuffed animals for prizes; maybe you'll find a cow to win."

 

Brian snorted.  "Well, in THAT case, I'll definitely have to go check it out; all we need is one more cow for the place," he quipped as he turned to head off around the side of the building.  His uncle watched him go, lost in thought as he noticed the similarities between his nephew and Dale, before he turned his attention back to the contest.

 

* * *

 

"Well?" Jared asked Emmett a few minutes later as he caught up with him lingering near the cake walk.  "Any sign of him?"

 

Jared looked around, realizing he hadn't seen _Justin_ in a while, either.  He tamped down pangs of jealousy as he wondered if they were together already as he told Emmett, "You have to go find Kinney before Justin does!  I told you what happened.  You're not backing out now?"

 

Emmett gazed longingly at the prized pecan pie before he shook his head, concentrating on what was most important.  "No, of course not!" he affirmed, not wanting any harm to come to his friend.  It was beginning to seem like the entire town was here now; the space was quickly filling up with scores of boisterous, happy-go-lucky townspeople catching up on their neighbors' lives.  Almost every available chair was now occupied, and the bluegrass band had struck up a bouncy, fiddler's tune.

 

"You have to go find them!" Jared instructed him.  "Kinney knows what I look like, or I would go with you."  He reached over to grasp Emmett's sleeve, his eyes beseeching him.  "Please, Em, I need to make sure that Justin is safe from him.  You know what to do."

 

Emmett nodded as his lips pressed into a determined line.  "Yeah.  I'll go find him now.  Wish me luck."

 

Jared nodded back at him with a smile.  "Oh, I do.  And I'm sure Justin will never forget what you did, either."

 

Emmett smiled as he nodded once more before hurrying away.

 

Jared's smile widened in glee.  "Yeah...Justin will never forget this," he murmured as he watched Emmett thread his way through the crowd.  "Enjoy him while you can, Squirt," he sneered.

 

* * *

 

Brian slowly wandered around the game and food booths, rolling his eyes at the "Mayberry-like" carnival atmosphere; there was the typical "Go Fish" booth for little kids to pluck a plastic duck out of a large, metal tub of water, a couple of shooting galleries, and even a 'Whack-A-Mole' game.  Interspersed throughout the small selection of games were some locally-run food booths benefiting such organizations as the Future Farmers of America and the Kiwanis Club, whatever the fuck _that_ was.  Handwritten menus scrawled on displayed blackboards hawked such items as pulled-pork barbecue and beans and cornbread as he made sure to sidestep the errant puddle of water here and there in the beaten-down, grassy surface of the impromptu midway, his eyes searching for a certain someone amongst the quickly swelling throng of townspeople.  Finally, he spied a crown of shining gold several feet away standing in front of a booth munching on something apparently called a funnel cake, and his face broke out into a delighted smile.  "Gotcha," he murmured, pleased that his target was evidently by himself.  "Perfect."  _In more ways than one..._

Using his taller stature to keep his eyes firmly focused on his goal, he threaded his way through the crowd until he was a few feet away from the other boy, pausing for a moment to admire how Justin's pants and shirt framed his backside.  His heart began to beat a little faster in anticipation as he reached Justin's side and began to slide his arms around his waist.

 

Justin jumped at the surprise contact, but somehow managed to hold onto his prized treat, his adrenalin shooting sky high as he immediately realized who it must be.  He turned around in Brian's arms to stare up at the other boy and couldn't help smiling, his breath catching in his throat at how gorgeous Brian looked in his outfit.  "You _are_ here," he marveled as Brian smirked back at him.

 

"Very astute of you," Brian remarked with a dry grin.  "I told you I would be here."  Dropping his light embrace of Justin reluctantly, he looked around the busy environment.  "I came specifically for the cow-chip throwing contest."  He snorted.  "I can't believe they even do that sort of thing with cow shit."

 

Justin giggled at the look on his face, his irritation with Brian from last night quickly dissipating.  There was just no way he could stay mad at this other boy.  "Did you take a look at it?" he asked.

 

Brian nodded and then shook his head in exasperation.   "They really need to find something better to do for amusements around here."

 

"Like cow- _tipping?_ " Justin teased as Brian grinned back at him.

 

"Well, not exactly what I would do for 'amusement' after last night, but hey, it seemed like more fun than what they're doing over there," he said with a nod of his head.  His eyes glanced down curiously at the fried concoction Justin was nibbling on; it was nestled on a white paper plate and sprinkled with copious amounts of what appeared to be powdered sugar.  He grimaced. "That's a funnel cake, I take it?"

 

Justin grinned in amusement at Brian's expression.  "Yeah.  Best food on earth - after your aunt's cobbler, anyway."  He pinched off a sticky, surgery end and held it up to Brian's mouth, his eyes twinkling.  "Want a bite?" he asked impishly.

 

If Brian didn't know better, he would swear this boy was the devil incarnate as his cock twitched at the sultry tone in his voice.  He licked his lips, the initial thought of disgust over eating such a high-carb concoction quickly fading away as his mouth seemed to open almost of its own accord.

 

Justin's eyes widened slightly. What was he thinking?  He glanced around to see if anyone was watching them, suddenly feeling vulnerable and unsure of himself.  But he had started it, and he certainly wanted to finish it.  His slightly shaking hand belied his bold offer as he held the bite out in front of Brian's lips and slowly slid his fingers inside so Brian could rake his teeth over them to snag the sugary cake.  Justin's heart began to pound as he felt the hot wetness surrounding his fingers and Brian's tongue taking a swipe at them before he managed to pull them out, the other boy's saliva serving to make his skin feel cool against the warm breeze blowing around them.

 

Justin watched enraptured as Brian chewed a couple of times and then swallowed, unable to avoid staring at his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he did so.  His eyes involuntarily darkened with desire as he lifted his gaze to stare into Brian's, feeling the heat flush over his skin at the look he was receiving, one that he conjectured reflected his own at that moment.  He cleared his throat.  "Did you like it?" he found himself saying.

 

Brian's traditional smirk faded away as he answered sincerely, "It was delicious.  And the funnel cake wasn't half-bad, either."  He leered over at his companion, who averted his eyes as his face reddened even more.   "I wouldn't mind having some other _bites_ ," he added huskily as one side of his mouth turned up in amusement.  "Know where I can get some more just like that?" he asked.

 

Finding himself suddenly emboldened, all the sounds around them seemed to fade away as Justin lifted his fingers to provocatively suck them, one by one, into his mouth to try and remove the stickiness, watching as Brian's eyes widened in reaction; he found the inflection of gold and green in his pupils absolutely mesmerizing as he replied, "Yeah, I just might."  He knew it was a dangerous game they were playing - and what the eventual result might be - but he was finding it harder and harder to hold out against this incredible, magnetic force known as Brian Kinney.  If only he could be absolutely sure, though, that Brian's motives were sincere and not just focused on having his needs - and his curiosity - met.

 

Brian tried furiously not to give his emotions away - nor let his imagination run wild. But he clearly remembered that day at the pond, seeing Justin naked and floating so tantalizingly on the water and he hadn't forgotten how it made him feel whenever they kiss. But that last, saucy comment from his sassy, blond companion didn't diminish his desire for him; if anything, it made him want him even more.

 

He moved closer to Justin so they were mere inches apart as he whispered to him, "I'll definitely keep that in mind," earning a blush in return as he smiled at him.  "Now if you think you can part with that shit for a while, why don't you show me what _else_ I might like?"

 

Justin marveled at how this boy could get his heart thumping in record time as he promptly threw the remainder of his funnel cake in a slightly rusty, metal container and wiped his hands between his palms to dislodge the remaining powdered sugar.  "What would you like to see?" he asked before he caught himself as Brian smirked.  "I mean, of the building, Brian."

 

Brian grinned as he paused.  It was crowded as hell inside, and while the makeshift midway was bustling with activity as well, at least it was more navigable.  Besides, something told him if he wanted a little time to be alone with Justin, it wouldn't occur inside, and with the rapidly approaching darkness the odds were better for that out here.  "Why don't we just talk a walk?" he finally suggested as Justin nodded in agreement.

 

Periodically as they ambled down the middle of the pathway, someone would call out a greeting to Justin, who would nod or smile at them in return or greet them by name.  Brian noticed that everyone seemed to genuinely like him, with several offering shouts of "Good Luck" for the upcoming race.  It was obvious that Justin was well-liked and held in high esteem by the townspeople, a fact that made Brian inexplicably proud.

 

Brian longed to hold Justin's hand or place his arm around his waist, but something about being in this conservative environment stopped him.  It wasn't so much that he gave a fuck what they thought, but he DID care about how they felt toward Justin, and the last thing he wanted to do at the moment was cause any more problems for him.  So he forced himself to compromise by 'accidentally' bumping up against his shoulder, as he fulfilled his need to touch him occasionally nonetheless.

 

They eventually stopped at a game that Brian actually recognized:  skeeball.  Justin lingered nearby as the barker tried to coax them to come closer.

 

Turning to Brian, Justin asked, "Didn't you say you played baseball in high school?" he asked with a grin.  "Now's your chance to impress me with your skills."

 

Brian leaned in to whisper in his ear.  "That's not the _skills_ I wanted to demonstrate for you," he told him as Justin blushed just like he thought he would.  "But I guess it's a start."  He walked over to the game operator - a tall, skinny kid who appeared to be in his early twenties wearing bib overalls and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up - and slipped several quarters into the side slot to release a total of ten balls.  "Stand back and watch," Brian boasted as Justin walked up to stand next to him, his arms folded over his chest.

 

Grinning smugly, Brian hefted the first ball into a gentle arc, promptly causing it to take a hard bounce in, then out of the circled target as Justin snickered.  Pursing his lips together in irritation, Brian shrugged.  "That was a practice shot," he explained as he curled his fingers around the next one and lofted it toward the center hole.  It, too, bounced right out of the target and this time came rolling back down toward him.

 

Justin laughed this time.  "Well, it's going well so far," he observed dryly as Brian glared over at him.  "Maybe you'll at least win a plastic key chain."  He looked upward at the stuffed animals hanging down from the frame of the booth and told him, "And I had my heart set on one of those stuffed cows."

 

He guffawed at the expression on Brian's face as the other boy glowered at him.  "I've got eight more balls," he reminded him.

 

"Well, so far your aim with your balls is way off," Justin supplied helpfully as he covered his mouth in amusement; he was enjoying this much more than if Brian had actually MADE his targets; the look on his normally self-confident, cocky face was priceless at the moment, and it somehow made him a little more 'human' in his eyes.

 

"My 'aim with my balls' is just fine, thank you," Brian growled.  "This game must be rigged; you know how they are," he maintained as the booth operator ignored him; after all, he was just there for a little money for the night, not to make a career out of operating a carnival game.

 

He aimed one more ball toward the center only to have it wind up in the outer most ring for a score of a paltry 20 points.

 

Justin grinned.  "Here, why don't you take a rest and let me try a couple?" he suggested.  "After all, you ARE older than me, so I'm sure you tired more easily."

 

Brian rolled his eyes, but held his hands up in surrender and backed up a few feet.  "Oh, by all means, Nolan Ryan, give it your best shot."  He watched as Justin reached over to grab the next ball in the chute and lean over slightly in concentration, biting his lower lip as he focused on his aim.  He watched as Justin softly lofted the ball and watched it promptly disappear down the middle ring for the highest score.

 

He huffed out a breath in disbelief as Justin did the same thing to the next ball, and then the next and the next one until he had racked up enough points to qualify for a medium-sized prize.  A few minutes later, he was the proud owner of a stuffed, black-and-white Checkers lookalike; a prize he proudly presented to his companion.

 

"Oh, no," Brian protested in aggravation.  "You won it fair and square; I wouldn't want to deprive you of the honor.  I'm sure it will look just peachy sitting on top of your dresser back home."

 

Justin grinned as he grabbed Brian's sleeve and looked up at him with a playful gleam in his eye; Brian noticed how much he seemed to be enjoying himself tonight, and he couldn't help smiling back at him in return.  "Oh, no, I couldn't," Justin responded.  "Every time you look at this in your bedroom, it will be a reminder of how you saved a life the other day...and how ridiculous you looked when that steer starting chasing after you last night."  He pressed the cow up against Brian's chest and lifted one eyebrow expectantly until Brian rolled his eyes back at him and snatched it out of his hands; he held it by the end of its tail and swung it back and forth between them as he told him dryly, "I'm honored.  Let's go, Champ."

 

"But...I was just getting warmed up," Justin argued with a smug sort of look of his face.

 

"Showoff," he muttered as he tugged Justin a little more forcefully away.   "You're warm enough."

 

Justin laughed as he finally allowed Brian to pull him away.  "Okay...but the loser has to buy the winner cotton candy."

 

Brian shook his head as the cow continued to be swung lightly back and forth by its tail.  "What _is_ it with you?  Is that all you think about?  How do you stay like that if you eat like a horse all the time?"

 

Justin shrugged.  "High metabolism and a lot of chores," he explained.  "Besides, it's not like my mom feeds me funnel cakes and cotton candy at home; I have to get it when I can."

 

"I like that philosophy," Brian said with a grin.  "And I agree with it completely."

 

"I meant junk food," Justin retorted as he rolled his eyes.

 

Brian sighed.  "I was afraid that's what you meant," he admitted as he lightly held onto Justin's elbow as they steered their way through the burgeoning crowd.  "Cotton candy, huh?"  Justin beamed up at him as he nodded.  "Okay, Nolan, lead the way."

 

Justin grinned as the two of them continued down the relatively short midway; banks of fat, round lights began to illuminate the dusk as they came to the end.  Justin frowned in dismay as he realized there wasn't any more.  "Where is it?" he wondered, almost pouting.

 

Brian laughed at his sulking.  He cocked his head toward the right.  "Well, all's not lost.  There's always fried pork rinds."  He wrinkled his nose in disdain at the thought; did those words actually come out of his mouth?

 

To his relief, Justin crinkled up his nose the same way.  "No way; I hate pork rinds," he disclosed with a disappointed sigh.  "Damn."

 

Brian shook his head in amusement.  Justin could be quite mature for his age most of the time, but right now he sounded more like a child thwarted from his most cherished toy.  "Poor thing," he cooed.  His eyes lit up as he noticed one last game located at the very end of the midway.  "Come on, I want to try that," he decided impetuously.

 

"Of course you do," Justin teased him as he noticed the "Strongman" game standing off by itself.  It was one of those contraptions where you tried to show off how strong you were by lifting a monstrously heavy mallet and striking a platform in an attempt to strike a bell at the very top. 

 

 

"Brian, you do realize how heavy that mallet is, don't you?"

 

Brian walked over to a middle-aged, balding man with a slight paunch and handed him a five-dollar bill.  "Of course I do," he assured him, slightly miffed that Justin sounded wary of him even trying it.  Well, he would show him.  He didn't stay in the shape he was in by being a couch potato.  Nodding at the attendant, he reached down to lift up the mallet, but to his consternation he found out just how fucking heavy it was; the tool barely moved.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Justin holding his hand over his mouth in an attempt to keep from laughing at him as he pulled on it harder, finally succeeding in lifting it up onto his shoulder with a decided grunt.  "Shit," he couldn't help exclaiming in surprise over how heavy it was.

 

"Brian..."

 

But Brian held up one hand in a silent request for him to be quiet.  Justin watched with a bit of concern as Brian stood there trying to catch his breath as he apparently tried to steel himself.  A few seconds later, he lowered the mallet and then flung it around in one fluid, circular motion to gain momentum before, like some railroad worker from the 1800's helping to build the Transcontinental Railroad, he brought it to come crashing down onto the metal platform.  Both boys watched as the guide traveled up the metal 'thermometer' until a distinctive clang was heard.

"Winner!  We have a winner!" the operator announced as Brian gratefully placed the mallet, head down, on the ground next to the contraption and breathed out a giant sigh of relief.  Deciding the tool must weigh a fucking ton, he vowed never to go near one of those ever again.

 

"What'll be?" the man asked him as Brian eyed the prize merchandise carefully; a grin broke out on his face a few seconds later as he pointed to a stuffed, brown-and-white horse with a flowing main of nylon hair and promptly handed it to Justin.  "Now we're even," he announced as Justin beamed and accepted the gift graciously, secretly thrilled at being the center of Brian's attention.  "Ride it in good health," he added as Justin laughed.

 

"That was impressive," Justin admitted as they began to walk away, each boy now holding onto their own stuffed animal.  "It's hard to ring that bell.  You're stronger than you look."

 

Brian didn't know why, but that comment almost made him puff out like a proud peacock.  "Yeah, I am," he told his companion.  "On both counts."

 

Justin grinned.  "And ever modest, too."

 

Brian grinned back at him as they stood at the end of the midway, parallel with the barn.  He stopped, hesitating.  Would they have to go back in now?  Despite how hokey this whole town social thing was, he was actually having a great time with Justin outside.   He once more took his elbow to steer him over to a corner of the barn, hidden from everyone else's view.

 

"Uh, Justin?"

 

Justin turned to gaze up at him so they were facing each other, both of them shadowed by the end of the building now and out of the glare of the harsh, outdoor lighting and the mob of people congregated around the food and game booths.

 

"Yes?" he asked as the two of them stood staring at each other.

 

Justin's eyes shone in the reflection of the myriad stars shining overhead as Brian's breath caught in his throat at his beauty.  He wasn't quite sure what was happening to him lately, but he did know one thing at that moment:  God, he had to kiss this boy.  "I..."

 

_Fuck it_.  Dropping the stuffed cow down onto the ground, his grasped Justin's upper arms with his hands and crashed his lips down onto his, not giving Justin any time to think about what he was doing.  He head a soft sigh escape Justin's lips as he pushed his tongue inside; moments later, the horse joined the cow on the grass as the younger boy wound his arms around Brian's back and pressed their bodies tightly together as the kiss quickly deepened into a needy, passionate one.

 

Justin felt the hard wood of the barn's exterior against his back as Brian assaulted his mouth, his heart thumping wildly in his chest over the feelings rushing through him.  His entire body felt like it was on fire as Brian's hands crept inside his jacket and began to roam all over him; he found himself emulating the same gestures as his fingernails scraped lightly across Brian's muscled back.  He knew if he didn't stop what they were doing and soon, he would be shamelessly humping up against Brian any second.  It took every ounce of his willpower to place his hands against Brian's chest and push back enough to separate them, desperately needing both breathing room as well as a few moments to come back down to Earth.

 

He could hear Brian's soft panting as well as his own as he continued to hold onto him.  "What?" Brian murmured, his voice throaty and breathless.  "Why did you pull away?"  If he didn't know Justin well enough, he would think the boy was a kind of cock tease, but he suspected it had more to do with fear of the unknown than anything else; despite Justin's apparent inexperience, however, the boy could kiss him to within an inch of his life.  He had kissed a lot of guys over the years, but Justin's kisses were in a class by themselves.

 

Justin was finding it hard to concentrate with Brian staring him in the face, his green, gold-flecked eyes rapidly darting back and forth as if he, too, were nervous.  Perhaps he was - but there was no way he could be as nervous as he felt.  He knew eventually he would have to decide what to do. Someone like Brian wasn't made to go without sex; the boy was too experienced to do that.  Probably just the fact that he had managed to wait this long was a testimony to how he felt about him; wasn't it?  Did he mean, though, that he was interested in something more than just a one-time deal?

 

"Brian..." He began, not quite sure what he was even going to say.  "I care about you..."

 

"Well, that's a start," Brian told him softly.  "So...?"

 

"I don't know, Brian," Justin told him hesitantly, his previous bravado with this boy suddenly gone.  "I want to..."  Why couldn't Brian at least tell him the same thing?  It would make his decision so much easier.

 

Brian was elated with that bit of information, though; at least it was encouraging.  "Then what's stopping you, Justin?" he entreated huskily.   He didn't take time to think about why it mattered to him; it never had before, but for some reason it did now.  Normally he just _took_ what was offered him, and he didn't look back.  This time, however, somehow it was different.

 

Justin's face grew warm at the sultry sound of Brian's voice; he couldn't see his face too well at the moment in the shadows, but perhaps that was just as well, because the more they stood there, the more his resolve was quickly fading away.  But even if he DID want to have sex with Brian, he didn't want his first time to be here; not standing on the side of a barn with scores of people milling nearby.  "I..."

 

Brian huffed out a frustrated breath over his indecision.  He didn't want to scare Justin off, but a guy could only take so much, too.  "I know you want me just like I want you," Brian countered as his hands came to rest on either side of Justin's body and he braced himself, palms down, against the barn's exterior, effectively trapping his companion within his embrace.

 

"Justin, haven't we been playing games long enough here?"  Relatively sheltered now from prying ears or eyes, he told him, "You told me you weren't into one-time fucks, and I get that.  But I think I've been extremely patient with you, Justin.  Don't you think it's time to change things up a little?"

 

Justin frowned at Brian's choice of words.  "Change things up?"

 

Brian sighed; shit, this beautiful, enticing boy could be so infuriating at times.  "You know what I mean.  Do you realize this has been the longest period of time I've gone without sex before?"

 

_Uh, oh_.  Brian knew he had phrased that wrong as soon as he heard more than saw the reaction.

 

"Excuse me?" Justin replied as he bristled at the less-than-romantic words; his hands stilled on Brian's back as he growled, "Is that all this is, Brian?  Your solution to solving your sexual repression?  Is that all I am to you?  A means to an end?"  He placed his hands on Brian's chest and pushed back from him to break their embrace.  "Well, then, fuck you! Or should I say fuck _yourself_!"  He began to trounce away, only to have Brian snatch him by his upper arm and twirl him back around to face him.

 

"Oh, my God, Justin; don't be such a fucking drama princess!" Brian retorted; his level of patience and understanding quickly reaching the point of no return.  He hadn't exactly meant it the way it had sounded; he just wanted Justin so badly that he physically ached for him.  It wasn't that he didn't care for him, either.  Why was everything so difficult around this boy?  He had never been so challenged - and so frustrated in his life.

 

"Leave me alone!" Justin cried out as he wrenched himself free from Brian's grasp.  "I told you before!  I don't want just a one-night fuck with you!  Go find some other nameless trick to take care of your problem!" he yelled, not caring of who happened to hear him at the moment; fortunately for him, however, with the boisterous crowd noise and the further buffering from the building, no one noticed their altercation.

 

"Shit, Justin!" Brian yelled back as Justin stomped away.  He followed him a few steps and turned the corner, just in time to see Justin rushing away and being absorbed into the crowd; a few seconds later, he was completely hidden from his view.  He brushed his hand through his hair in disgust. How did such a promising evening suddenly go south all of a sudden?

 

* * *

 

Justin brushed the tears from his eyes as he rushed through the crowd, uncaring of where he was going.  All he knew was that he had to get out of there and as far away from Brian as possible.  Why had he thought he would be any different than any other guys who had been with Brian?  Than Jared, even?  Apparently his brother had been right; Brian didn't really care about him or his feelings.  He only cared about getting laid and his latest conquest.

 

He bit his lip to keep any more tears from falling as he entered the back doors of the barn, blinking to adjust to the bright light inside like a theater patron emerging into bright sunlight after watching a movie.  Crowds of people were swarming around the judging entries, especially those in the baked goods category, and Justin noticed Brian's aunt standing nearby, beaming as one of the judges awarded her yet another 1st prize ribbon for her cobbler.  Not in the mood to talk to anyone - especially either his parents or Brian's aunt and uncle - he rushed ahead, not looking in any direction and not really knowing where he was going.  He just wanted to get as far away from her as possible.

 

From her place nearby, Sarah accepted the well wishes of several townspeople as she suddenly noticed Justin hurrying by her; from the look on his face, it was obvious that something distressing had happened.  "I'm sorry," she quickly told those milling around her, "I have something I need to do.  Will you excuse me?" she asked as she hurried to catch up with her young neighbor.

 

* * *

_Same Time - End of Midway_

Brian tried to hurriedly weave his way through the crowd in his need to find Justin, but he was discovering it difficult to do.  As soon as he dodged one crowd standing in the middle of the walkway to catch up on old times, he found another one to impede his progress.  "Fuck!" he muttered in frustration as an older lady nearby glared at him over his expletive.  Rolling his eyes, he forged ahead a few more feet, just in time to slam into another boy of about the same height.

 

"Whoa!" Emmett exclaimed as he reached out to grasp Brian by the arms to steady him.  "Where's the rodeo, Tex?" he teased.  He let out a deep breath to steel himself; Jared had warned him about this boy's temper, but he forced himself to remain focused on his task:  to find a way to permanently sever this guy's relationship with his young friend.  For that, he would risk the other boy's wrath.

 

"Get out of my way!" Brian snapped as he reached to shove him aside; to his surprise, however, the other boy was stronger than he appeared as he refused to budge.  "Are you fucking deaf?" he snarled, his mind only on one thing at the moment. 

 

"Oh, I can clear just fine," Emmett assured him, not willing to let this boy bully HIM.  He didn't look that overpowering to him; of course, as with most bullies, they were more boast than brawn.  He appeared to frown as he eyed him intently.  "You're the Walkers' nephew, aren't you?"  Of course, he already knew that; Jared had pointed him out to him earlier when he had spotted Kinney and his brother together near the back entrance doors.  That's how he had known to come out here to find him.  That, and the fact that he had seen Justin rushing inside, clearly upset about something a few minutes ago.  Had this boy been pressuring him again to do something he didn't want to do?  That made him even MORE intent on making sure Justin saw exactly what sort of person this boy was, and convince him that he never wanted anything to do with him ever again.  He could do so much better than him. 

 

Brian eyes bored into his, dark and stormy, as Emmett stood his ground.  "Yeah, what if I AM?   Who the fuck are YOU?" 

 

"The name's Emmett Honeycutt; I'm Vic's nephew," he announced.  "I'm staying with him for a few weeks."

 

"I'm filled with utter joy," Brian quipped sarcastically.  "Now move aside." 

 

"What's your hurry?"

 

"None of your business," Brian growled.  What WAS it with these townspeople wanting to know everyone else's affairs?

 

"Oh, but Justin IS my business," Emmett said as the other boy brushed by him, causing Brian to stop dead in his tracks in the midst of all the hustle and bustle and turn around on a dime at the mention of his quarry's name.

 

Grabbing Emmett by the arm, he half-drug, half-pulled him over to the side where it wasn't as crowded as he demanded, "What does THAT mean?" 

 

_Gotcha_ , Emmett silently crowed.  He had certainly had his share of exposure to bullies back in Alabama, and he always found that they were suddenly quite interested when you implied that you were about to snatch their favorite toy away from them. 

 

"Talk!" Brian commanded as his hands curled into fists as they grasped the cotton material of his shirt, wondering how in the hell he could possibly know that he was trying to find him.   "What does this have to do with him?"

 

"Justin's my friend," Emmett declared.  "And he's long gone from here," he advised, knowing that was a bald-faced lie; he had seen his friend just a little while ago, and knew there was no way Justin could leave without the rest of his family.  It was simply too far of a walk back home.  And he was counting on Jared's help in the next part of his plan. 

 

But, of course, Brian didn't know any of that as he eyed him unflinchingly.  _This is for you, Baby,_ Emmett thought in determination as he took a deep breath and revealed, "I saw the two of you together earlier out here over at the skeeball machines, so I know you know each other.  But if you're trying to find him now, you're too late." 

 

"What does THAT mean?"

 

"I heard him hitching a ride back home with one of his neighbors," Emmett told Brian as his heart lurched in dismay.  "Left about five minutes ago.  So it won't do any good to go look for him." 

 

Brian walked a couple of steps and promptly plopped down on a weathered, wooden bench in defeat.  _Shit_.  What a mess!  He had fucked up big time once more by speaking before he started thinking.  He had never met a boy who both perplexed as well as enchanted him more, but all he seemed to do was keep screwing everything up.  He let out a heavy sigh.  "Fuck."

 

Emmett frowned; he hadn't quite expected that sort of reaction, but perhaps it was just as he thought - maybe Kinney was upset because his 'flavor of the month' had gotten away from him.  At that moment, though, the other boy didn't seem all that violent to _him_ ; in fact, he seemed rather miserable. 

 

Looking forward to his reward later of spending some quality time with Justin's brother, however, and figuring that Jared knew better than he regarding this other boy, he nonetheless plunged ahead with the next part of their plan.

 

"Well, now that you're here by yourself and I'M here by myself, what do you say we make the best of it?"


	16. Who's the Jackass Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared's plan to break up the budding lovers goes awry when Brian discovers his latest plot; Sarah goes to bat for her nephew as she has a heart-to-heart talk with Justin.

From his place by the bandstand, Jared had watched his brother rush by, his face drawn and red.  It was obvious he was upset about something.  He grinned; apparently Emmett was playing right along with his plan.  He wasn't sure what had happened exactly, but it had evidently not been in his brother's favor.  Now all he had to do was bide his time a little until Emmett worked his magic on Brian; then he would promptly step in to help 'alleviate' his pent-up frustration and lust.

 

He decided he would play it safe for a little while longer inside the barn before heading out to the midway to try and figure out what was going on; let his brother simply brood and pout outside if he wanted to.  There would be far less complications that way, anyway.  "It never pays to play in the big leagues, Squirt," he chuckled softly in satisfaction as he observed Justin hurry out the main entrance doors.  He shuffled lightly from one foot to the other and glanced from time to time toward the rear of the building in barely-restrained impatience, not noticing Brian's Aunt Sarah quickly heading toward the entrance to follow after his brother.

 

* * *

 

Her husband currently involved with the cow chip throwing contest, Sarah rushed to follow after Justin, somehow accessing accurately that his look of dismay and anguish might have something to do with her nephew.  "Brian, what have you done?" she murmured to herself as she hurried to catch up with him.  She quickly rushed out the doors, glancing around to try and figure out where her young neighbor had gone. Fortunately, there was enough lighting by the front entrance, as well as the starlight cast from above, to just make out a crown of shining blond hair heading toward the grassy parking area; Justin was apparently going back to his parents' truck.

 

Her brow creased in concern, Sarah scampered after him, her lithe, petite frame aiding her in keeping track of him.  Just as she thought, after a few minutes, Justin pulled up short next to his parents' truck and climbed into the back of the bed, sitting down on one of the straw bales and placing his head wearily in his hands.  He didn't notice her approaching until she greeted him softly.

 

"Justin?"

 

Justin's head popped up, startled.  He frowned as he recognized who it was.  He sniffled a little to try and disguise his sadness from her as he said, "Mrs. Walker?  What are _you_ doing here?"  He really liked Brian's aunt - she had always been kind and loving to him - but she was probably one of the last people he wanted to see right now.  How did she even know where he was?

 

She hesitated a moment, wondering how to proceed before she replied, "I saw you head out here and thought maybe you might want someone to talk to.  I noticed in the barn that you seemed upset.  Are you okay?"  She quietly walked up to the side nearest where Justin was sitting and placed her hands on the top of the cool, metal truck bed; in the darkness, she could just barely make out Justin's eyes gleaming back at her, and she thought they seemed brighter than normal even in the dimness.  Her heart sank at the thought that her nephew could be to blame for his appearance.  _Brian, I told you not to hurt him_ , she thought silently.  She did not want to judge her nephew, though - at least not yet - until she knew for sure what had happened.

 

Justin let out a ragged breath.  "I really don't want to talk about it," he told her sadly.  Had he been wrong about Brian after all?  That had been one of his fears from the start; that Brian was simply one of those guys who chased you until you gave in, and then dumped you like a pair of muddy boots by the back door.  Had he been wrong about him?  What did he know about relationships and love, anyway?  It wasn't as if he had had a lot of experience in that department.  Had Jared been right all along?  He swallowed the painful lump in his throat and sighed, a mournful sort of sigh that tore straight at Sarah's heart.

 

His mouth hung open in shock just then as he watched Brian's aunt walk over to the back of the truck and, pressing the gate's handle to release it, deftly hoist herself up onto the back of the vehicle to walk over next to Justin and sit down on the other bale that his brother had occupied earlier.  "Mrs. Walker, I said I don't..."

 

"I know," she told him quietly as she reached over to place her hand comfortingly on his denim-clad knee.  "But I care about you, Justin.  And I have this sinking feeling that this somehow has to do with my nephew.  Am I right?"

 

Justin stared over at her in the darkness and finally nodded.

 

Sarah pursed her lips tightly together; she had hoped she was wrong.  "What did he do?"

 

Justin turned his head to peer out over the fields, clearly uncomfortable.  This wasn't exactly something he wanted to discuss, especially with Brian's aunt, no matter how much he liked her.  How could she possibly understand something that he didn't even comprehend?  "I...I can't really discuss this with you," he finally told her as he turned back to peer over at her.

 

Sarah eyed him resolutely, however; she wasn't going to give up that easily. She cared about both these boys too much to do that.  "Justin, if it has anything to do with my nephew, you have to tell me.  Please."

 

Justin rubbed his hand over his face; could he really discuss something this personal with Brian's aunt?  Would she even understand, or would she condemn it?  He knew he couldn't dare talk about it with his mother, even though she normally was quite sympathetic to his concerns, a lot more so than his father would ever be.  But as he peered over at her sympathetic, kindly face, there was something about this woman that led him to hope that perhaps somehow she could help him at least to understand why Brian did the things he did.

 

"We...we had a misunderstanding, I guess you would say," he finally whispered, the pain evident in his voice as he relived what had happened.

 

Sarah frowned, her hand tightening slightly on Justin's knee.  "What _sort_ of misunderstanding, Honey?"

 

Justin bit his lip before he sighed in resignation.  The truth was he _wanted_ to talk to someone about what had happened, and perhaps Brian's aunt was the perfect one to talk to about it; he knew that Brian was genuinely fond of her and respected her as well.  Making up his mind, then, he told her, "We were out at the midway around the games."  A small smile played on his face as he recalled how much fun they had been having.  "We played some Skeeball and the Iron Man game," he stated.  His smile widened a little more as he told her, "Brian gave me a stuffed horse when he won his game, and I gave him a cow.  I found out he wasn't very good at Skeeball, but he sure knew how to handle a mallet."

 

She smiled over at him, a little confused, however, by what had gone so wrong then.  "That sounds nice," she told him quietly.  "It sounds like you were having fun together."

 

Justin nodded as his smile faded slightly.  "We were."  And they _had_ been; he knew Brian couldn't have been faking that.

 

She nodded back at him.  "So what happened, then?" she pressed softly.

 

Justin took a deep breath; it was all so personal.  He felt his face warm, and was relieved that in the relative darkness Brian's aunt couldn't see his reaction.  "Well...We got to the end of the midway where there weren't a lot of people, and...We were standing near a part of the barn where no one else could see us, and..."

 

Sarah's heart began to pound over the hesitation in Justin's voice.  Just what had Brian done to him?  Despite her fears, she refused to believe that he would force himself on this boy.  "Justin, please; just tell me what happened," she beseeched gently.

 

"Well...he _kissed_ me," he finally confessed, wondering how Brian's aunt would react to that particular piece of information.  Would she be shocked?  Disgusted?  He had no idea.  To his relief and surprise, however, she didn't gasp in disbelief or make any other sound of scorn or disapproval, but merely gazed over at him thoughtfully, her hand still resting lightly on his knee.

 

Sarah had to hold back both a sigh of relief as well as a smile, because she wasn't quite sure how Justin felt about that.  Apparently _something_ had upset him.  "You didn't want him to?" she probed carefully, trying to decipher exactly what was going on.

 

"No...I mean, no, it wasn't that," Justin admitted as he licked his lips nervously.  "I...I mean, I _liked_ the kiss," he confessed, a little embarrassed to be discussing something so private with Brian's aunt.  But to his continuing amazement, she merely nodded at him briefly.

 

"Well, that's good," she said tentatively, still dumbfounded as to why Justin was so upset, then.  There had to be more to this story, and evidently she was going to have to pry it out of him.  "Justin, if you _wanted_ him to kiss you, then why are you so upset now?"

 

Justin let out another sigh as he swallowed hard.  "Because...," he began.  _Shit, this was so hard!_   But he really did want to try and figure out Brian's motives, and perhaps his aunt was the only one who could explain it to him. But how to properly say it?  Finally, he told her, "Because he wanted more than I was willing to give him - at least for now."

 

Sarah stared over at her young neighbor, her heart heavy.  She had been afraid something like this might happen.  Justin was young and inexperienced; he was very strong in a lot of ways, but he was also fragile at times, too, and despite his many talents, he was still somewhat unsure of himself and his place in the world. Justin had just admitted to her that he liked Brian's kiss, so that could only mean one thing to her - Justin was attracted to her nephew, just like Brian was attracted to him.  Apparently, though, he had tried to move a little too fast for Justin's liking, and this had been the result.  "Justin," she began quietly as he lifted his head to look over at her, "he didn't try and force himself on you, did he?"  She had to know one way or the other.

 

To her immense relief, Justin shook his head in response.  "No," he whispered.  "Nothing like that. But he told me this had been the longest time he had gone without sex before," he told her, his face flushing in humiliation.  His eyes watered as he told her, "I thought he really cared about me.  Now I think I was only his next target until he got what he wanted and moved on."  He hung his head in shame, a soft, melancholy groan escaping his lips.

 

Sarah's heart broke at the plaintive sound in Justin's voice, but she had gotten to know her nephew well enough by now to know the real truth.  Her nephew could be gruff, short-tempered, impulsive, and impatient, but he also had a tender heart that he did not allow others to see - except around her and then only during rare moments of vulnerability.  And even though she had only known him for a relatively short time, she knew him well enough by now to realize that he cared about this young man a great deal, apparently more than Justin knew.

 

She reached over to clasp Justin's hand as he lifted his gaze to look at her, his eyes luminous under the starlight above.  "Justin," she began softly.  How could she explain her tempestuous nephew so he would understand?  "Brian _does_ care about you; I'm sure of that," she told him firmly.

 

Justin's heart leapt at her statement; could it be true?  He wanted to believe that, but he dare not read too much into it; after all, she _was_ his aunt. He still had to ask, though. "You are?"

 

She nodded as he added, "How do you know?"

 

She smiled, not missing the hopeful sound in his voice.  "He told me as much earlier today," she stated.

 

"He did?" Justin asked in surprise, a hitch in his voice.  Was it possible...?  "He said that?"

 

Sara pondered her answer to that question.  No, Brian hadn't come right out and specifically said, "Yes, I care about Justin."  But on the other hand, he didn't need to; the answer was there in his voice and in the insecurity that had flared to the surface when he had asked if she thought Justin was too young for him, and how useless it would be to get involved with someone just over the summer before he had to go home, and in the way he tried to find an excuse to deny his feelings for Justin but couldn't contradict her when she had forced his hand about it.  No, her nephew wasn't just in it for temporary gratification.  And while Brian could act first and then think about the consequences later, it was obvious to her that both boys felt deeply for each other.  Something told her, too, that they both needed one another.

 

Her mind made up, then, she nodded, not worried that she might not be correct; she _knew_ she was.  "Yes," she told him with a smile.  "He did tell me that he cared about you."  She watched a smile begin to bloom just then on Justin's face as she explained, "Brian can be very impetuous, Justin; he likes to act first and think later.  I think he was just so happy to be with you tonight that he wanted to express that to you.  I'm sure he didn't mean for what he said to come out the way it did."

 

"I don't know..." He wanted to believe her so badly; was it true?  Was Brian just so anxious to be with him that he had merely used the wrong choice of words?  Maybe if he had stayed around to listen to him...He DID try to get him to stay, but he was so upset at the time that he hadn't been willing to do that.  "You really think so?" he asked softly, pressing his thumbnail between his teeth pensively.

 

She smiled over at him and squeezed his hand.  "Yes, I do," she replied.  "And I suspect that Brian is probably kicking himself right now for what he said.  Please, Justin, give him another chance to explain before things get out of hand, and you both regret it.  I'm sure you'll find that I'm right.  Brian is not as tough as he would like everyone to think.  He needs someone like you."

 

Justin stared over at Sarah, constantly amazed at how perceptive this woman could be.  He had always trusted her opinion; was she right now?  Could Brian really care for him as more than just a temporary plaything?  He wanted to think so; he knew he had to find out.  He figured the worst that could happen was that his fears would be realized, but if she was right something wondrous could occur; something that he had been yearning for.

 

He finally nodded.  "Okay, I'll go talk to him.  Do you know where he is?"

 

Sarah released his hand, enormously relieved that he was willing to listen to Brian.  _You'd better give it your best shot, Brian; don't muck this up,_ she silently warned him almost telepathically.  "I didn't see him before I followed you out here," she admitted regretfully. "But this place is not that big; you should be able to find him pretty easily."

 

He nodded again as he stood up.  Extending his hand out to her as a courtesy, she smiled as she accepted it long enough for him to help her rise to stand beside him.  Walking the few steps over to the end of the truck bed, Justin hopped down before turning around to hold out his hands to help Sarah jump down, also.

 

"Go," she encouraged him.  "I'll be inside the barn near the judging booths.  I'm hoping my berry cobbler's about to repeat as a blue ribbon winner."

 

Justin grinned at her, his heart a lot lighter now.  "It will," she assured him.  "Just make sure you save me a piece of it."

 

She smiled.  "No need; I'll make you another one tomorrow.  Now get going."

 

Justin didn't need any more encouragement as he nodded before turning to rush back toward the entrance doors, his heart thudding in his chest.

 

Sarah watched him go as she bit her lip.  _Here's your chance, Brian.  Make the most of it._

* * *

_Thirty Minutes Earlier..._

From his place on the bench, Brian peered over at Emmett with a grimace.  Was this boy serious?  Did he really think he'd be interested in him after Justin?  To him, NO ONE could be as amazing as he.  Brian couldn't help from laughing softly at the comparison.  "No, thanks," he replied as he sighed and brushed his hand through his hair in agitation.

 

How did Justin consistently manage to make him do and say things he never thought he would say?  And how did he always seem to cause him to put his foot in his mouth?  Before, he would have never cared either way; now, he felt like shit over the expression on Justin's face when he had made it sound like he was considering him just another guy to fuck, which was the farthest thing from the truth.  Why did he have to make it worse, too, by calling him a 'drama princess?'  _Real smart, Kinney_ , he reprimanded himself.

 

Emmett frowned as he looked over at the other boy.  This wasn't quite going the way that Jared had indicated it would.  Kinney was supposed to be sex on legs and a walking bundle of testosterone; the way Jared had talked, all you had to do was stand anywhere near him and offer him a wink and a nod and the boy would be only too glad to oblige.  This guy, though, looked positively miserable, even if he WAS probably the hottest guy he had ever seen.  He fleetingly wondered why _Jared_ hadn't gone after Kinney himself, but he was too absorbed in trying to figure out a way to impress the older Taylor boy that he didn't stop to analyze it.  What was he supposed to do now, though?  He was supposed to come onto Kinney while Justin was around so he would show his friend how shallow and vain the boy was; Justin, however, had run off just as he got there, and it was obvious he was already upset about something.  So what now?

 

"Why are you still standing there?" Brian growled.  "Get the hell away from me!"

 

Well, at least Jared was right about one part, Emmett decided. This guy obviously had a short fuse.  But there was just something off about this that just didn't jive - he wasn't trying to push him around or get in his face; in fact, he looked pretty damn dejected at the moment.  Something - he didn't know what - made him walk closer to the other boy and query, "Why was Justin so upset earlier?"

 

Brian huffed in disbelief; what part of _fuck off_ did this nelly queen not understand?  He eyed the boy's flamboyant, flashy apparel - a shimmering, royal purple, satin shirt paired with multi-colored suspenders and form-fitting blue jeans with a pair of silly-looking, pink crocodile boots - and shook his head.  "It's none of your damn business," he snapped.  To his utter astonishment, the boy actually sat down next to him instead of leaving.  He really WAS deaf as well as suicidal, apparently. 

 

"Leave me the fuck alone!" he yelled as a few of the social's attendees close by gave him a glare or a dirty look over his foul language; at least it matched his mood at the moment, however.

 

Emmett fixed him with an unyielding stare; his previous fear of him being violent quickly abated to be replaced with an innate curiosity.  "Not until you tell me what happened between the two of you," he insisted firmly.  "I care about Justin and I don't want to see him get hurt."  The words fell unbidden before he could stop them; he wasn't sure if Jared wanted him to reveal that much to this other boy, but he couldn't help it.  It was the truth.

 

Brian's eyes widened slightly; apparently Vic's nephew had balls.  He had to give him credit for that.  "Well, neither do I," he told him rigidly, "not that it's any of your business, even if he IS a so-called friend of yours.  You must not know him very well," Brian pointed out, "since you live, where?  In Hicksville, Arkansas?"

 

"I know him well enough," Emmett maintained as he bristled at the imposed insult.  "I know he's a sweet boy who doesn't deserve to be slapped around because he won't bow to your sexual advances."  He quickly placed a hand over his mouth as he realized what he had divulged, his heart hammering in his chest as Brian looked over at him in total confusion.

 

"What the _fuck_ are you talking about, Honeycutt?  Are you...," he couldn't even get the thought spoken aloud - it was too disgusting and vile to think about - "Are you insinuating that I've been slapping Justin around because he won't have sex with me?  Where in the hell did you get THAT idea from?"

 

Emmett bit his lip anxiously now; before then, he hadn't really felt all that nervous around Kinney, but the present, scathing look that he was receiving was making him quite alarmed.   For Justin's sake, however, he was not going to back down.

 

"Yes," he told him stiffly as he straightened up in his seat.  "That's _exactly_ what I'm saying.  And I won't stand by and watch you hurt him anymore."

 

Brian's mouth hung open in incredulity.  "You won't _stand_ for it!"  His voice carried so loudly that others nearby once more turned around to look at the two men sitting there on the bench; their deadly serious faces were a stark contrast to the festivities occurring all around them as Brian stated unequivocally, "I did no such thing! I don't HAVE to beg anyone for that, trust me!" Well, that wasn't exactly the truth; he had never begged Justin to have sex with him, but if anyone could make him possibly break that rule, it might be him.  Of course, it was all probably a moot point now after their fight. "I have never laid a hand on anyone, Honeycutt," he told his companion, prickling at the notion.  "Especially Justin."

 

"But you were in jail," Emmett pressed, unconvinced.

 

Brian harrumphed in irritation.  "Will you keep your voice down?" he hissed as he looked around the midway, even though the noises from the crowd and the games seemed to be thankfully drowning out most of their actual conversation.  "I have NEVER _been in jail_ ," he told him, his voice lowered somewhat.  Why he was explaining this to this boy was beyond him, but he told him nonetheless, "I was arrested for stealing a car and wound up here instead of being sent to jail.  Why else would I be in this godforsaken place where there're more fucking cows than people?"

 

Em frowned; that made sense in a way.  And this Kinney guy had really looked affronted over his accusation that he might have been physically abusing Justin.  But Jared had told him that; it had to be true - didn't it?  Why else would he have said that if he wasn't trying to protect his younger brother?  It didn't make sense otherwise.

 

"Where did you hear that, Honeycutt?" Brian demanded, seething inside.  He would NEVER hurt Justin - well, not physically, anyway. And it pained him greatly to think he had hurt him emotionally; he resolved to take care of that at the first opportunity.  There was no way he was going to let Justin go that easily, not without a fight.

 

Em pursed his lips together, his thoughts racing. He was totally confused; what exactly was going on here?  Should he tell him?  How he wished he could figure out who to believe.  He trusted Justin implicitly; he just knew his friend had no malevolent bone in his body. But Jared had told him that Justin would be too afraid to admit the truth even if he asked him.  And he thought he trusted Jared; but he _had_ thought the boy was being a little odd earlier.  Before, Jared wouldn't have given him the time of day, and the thought that he was playing hard to get as he had indicated earlier didn't make a lot of sense then - or now.

 

Brian was quickly becoming fed up; this night had quickly gone from a wonderful experience with Justin to hell in a hand basket.  "I'm waiting," he demanded curtly as he folded his arms across his chest.  "I want to know who told you that."  Brian's mind swirled with possibilities as Emmett remained silent until, at last, the only logical answer slipped into place and his eyes narrowed in fury.  "Jared!  That asshole Jared told you that?"

 

Emmett shrunk back slightly from the other boy as his eyes widened like a rabbit caught in a snare, and Brian knew he had hit his mark.  "He _told_ you I was hurting Justin?  Answer me!" he shouted as he reached over and grasped Emmett by the shoulders, uncaring now if anyone heard or saw him.

 

Emmett's face turned pale and his eyes grew wide as he gasped out, "Yes, damn it!  He told me you were hurting his brother, and he wanted me to come onto you when Justin was around so he wouldn't want anything to do with you!  I was doing it for _him!_   Now let GO of me!"

 

Brian stared at him, a mixture of horror and rage on his face as he finally released the other boy with a grunt.  "I'm going to fucking kill that asshole!" he shouted as he rose to his feet.  "He's going to wish he never messed with me!"  Abruptly, he turned around and began to rush down the midway, periodically bumping and crashing into other patrons and not caring about the scowls and angry reprimands he received in return over his bad manners.

 

Emmett sat there for a few seconds, immobile and unsure what to do, before finally he rose to his feet and hurried off after him.  He had no idea what he was going to do; he only knew somehow that he needed to be there when the confrontation took place.  Briefly wondering where Justin had run off to - and partially worried what would happen to him as well - he hastened to follow the other boy, still mulling over who was lying and who was telling the truth.  Something in the pit of his stomach, though, told him he already knew the answer.

 

* * *

 

Brian's nostrils flared in fury as he stomped toward the back door of the exhibit barn, not bothering to cast a glance toward his uncle and Justin's father, who were standing nearby watching contestants wrapping up the cow chip throwing contest.  Both men, however, noticed _him_ as they heard a woman loudly call out in a huff, "Well, I NEVER!" as Brian roughly barged past her without so much as an 'excuse me.'

 

"Looks like your nephew is loaded for bear, Will," Craig told his neighbor as they turned to watch Brian rush inside.  "Maybe you'd best go check up on that boy."  Craig still didn't trust the Walkers' nephew, and the boy appeared to be enraged about something.

 

Just then, they noticed Emmett rushing up to them.  "You'd better stop him!" he told them breathlessly, his face drawn with worry.  "He's going after Jared!"

 

"What?" Craig asked in shock.

 

Emmett reached over and grabbed Craig's arm.  "No time to explain!" he told them desperately.  "Come on before one of them kills the other!"

 

Both men stared at each for a brief moment in indecision before they hurried of one accord into the rear of the barn, systematically searching for either Brian or Jared; they could see the top of Emmett's head several feet in front of them, doing the same.  The teeming crowd, oblivious to their anxious search, was currently clapping along to a lively tune being performed by the bluegrass music quartet at the front of the barn, and with the others grouped around the judging areas, it was extremely difficult to find anyone.  After a minute or so, however, the music abruptly stopped in mid-tune and the crowd slowly died down to a murmur as two males could be heard screaming at the top of their lungs.  Suddenly, they didn't need to search for them; it was obvious where they were.

 

"You son of a bitch!" Brian snarled as he hurried up to Jared, a large vein popping out on his neck.  "I know about Honeycutt and what you did!  I would never hurt Justin!  You're a lying piece of shit!"  There was a gasp from some of the participants over Brian's language as his uncle, Justin's father, and Emmett hurried over to intercept them before things escalated even more out of control.

 

Brian lunged for Jared then, who brought his hands up in front of his face in a defensive gesture as he deftly dodged the other boy's initial strike.  "You want a fight, Kinney?  You're on!" Jared shouted, furious that his plan had obviously backfired somehow.  "Come on, big man!" he taunted him as he crooked his fingers at him in a beckoning motion before he curled his hands into fists in a combative stance.  "You have more to lose here than I do!"  He no longer cared about getting back at Justin or winning Kinney over; his reputation and superiority were on the line now.  "Show me what you've got!" he mocked him as Brian's face turned red with rage and he began to rush him.

 

"Brian, NO!" Justin shouted from nearby just then, his face filled with fear and concern; what in the hell was going on? 

 

Brian turned around in stunned surprise at the sound of Justin's voice to try and find him, only to have Jared sucker-punch him with a glancing blow to his left jaw.

 

"Why, you sniveling coward!" Brian growled as he rushed at him in fury, only to have Justin grab him from behind to hold him in place while Vic grabbed Jared and held on tight to him, giving Craig just long enough to step between the two of them to intervene.

 

"Oh, my God!" Jennifer whispered in horror as she left her place near the preserves and honey judging station at the sound of the fight and hurried over, recognizing both her sons and her husband right in the middle of the fracas.

 

All eyes were on the drama taking place as Craig snapped at his son, "Stop this right now!"  Brian's chest heaved up and down in agitated fury; Justin continued to hold onto him in a virtual vise, his wrists linked around his chest to prevent him from moving as he peered around Brian to see what his father and brother were doing.  "What in the hell is going on?" Craig asked Jared as he turned to stare over at Brian suspiciously, not missing his other son holding onto him from behind.

 

Jared struggled to free himself from Vic's grasp as he cried out, "He tried to charge at me!  He's a fucking troublemaker!  He belongs in jail!"

 

"He's lying!" Brian shouted at him, inexplicably embarrassed as he felt everyone's eyes on him.  He had worked hard to try and turn his life around here; he resented Jared insinuating that he was the same person as the one who had first stepped foot on the Walker's ranch.  "He started the whole damn thing!  He told Emmett that I was slapping Justin around!"

 

Justin's mouth flew open in shock.  "What?"  He stared over at his brother with hatred and hurt in his eyes.  "Is that true?  Did you do that?"

 

Jared sneered at him as he retorted, "Don't flatter yourself!  I don't care WHAT happens to you!"

 

Craig felt his face warm with shame as everyone he knew in town turned to stare at them in thinly-disguised disgust. "You're embarrassing the whole family," he hissed at Jared.  "We're taking this conversation outside - _NOW!"_ He none-too-gently grabbed his son's arm and forcefully began to drag him toward the entrance doors.  "You, too!" he called over to Justin as Jennifer rushed up to them, but Justin refused to budge from his place by Brian's side.

 

"But...but it wasn't _me_!" Jared continued to insist as he struggled to remain inside; despite his somewhat shorter height, however, Craig was stronger than he appeared as he ignored his son's diatribe and continued to roughly pull him to the front doors by his arm.

 

"You can explain yourself outside!" Craig snarled as the two of them finally disappeared out of sight, followed shortly by Jennifer; the crowd stood there for a few minutes longer until Vic finally cried out, "Show's over, folks!  Let's get back to the social!"  The shocked observers lingered several seconds longer, until the band's leader nodded at his fellow musicians and the music started up again.  That seemed to jolt everyone out of their frozen state as they finally began to murmur among themselves before they slowly returned to the festivities.

 

Will let out a heavy, ragged breath, trying hard not to jump to conclusions as he surveyed his nephew. He had hoped Brian had changed, but now he wasn't so sure. He observed the youngest Walker boy finally release his hold on him as he felt Sarah clutch at his sleeve; he looked over at her, noticing a myriad of emotions on her face.  She seemed to silently beg him to go easy on Brian as he asked the boy with surprising calm, "What's going on here, Brian?  Did you do what he said you did?"

 

"No!" Justin interrupted unexpectedly before Brian had a chance to answer.  "Brian would never do that!"  His eyes flashed with righteous indignation as well as concern over what fate might befall Brian now, his own prior anger totally dissipating to be replaced by his worry over his predicament.  He stood next to Brian's side as their eyes locked on each other for a moment before he softly added, "Brian would never do that to me."

 

"He's right," Emmett verified from his place nearby as he spoke up, now convinced that everything Jared had told him was a bald-faced lie; Vic, having released possession of Jared to his father, chose to remain with the others to find out exactly what had occurred as he listened quietly to his nephew, who appeared to be fairly distraught.  He knew Emmett could be over-the-top at times and downright eccentric, but he also knew the boy wasn't a liar, and something told him he had been the innocent party in this whole affair.

 

"Jared came to me earlier today and told me that Brian had been pressuring Justin to do something that he didn't want to do," he began; he chose intentionally to keep his explanation vague, cognizant of the prying eyes and ears still listening in.  He fixed his stare on one older man nearby in particular who was glaring at him until the gray-haired farmer finally had the decency to turn away in embarrassment.

 

Sarah urgently suggested, "Let's take this outside, okay?  Side door."  The last thing she wanted was to run into Jared and his parents at the moment still in the heat of their argument; at least if they exited out the side door opposite all the activity that was occurring at the moment, they could be assured of some privacy to hash everything out.

 

Will nodded, realizing that was best.  "Good idea," he muttered, red-faced as he noticed too many familiar faces studying them curiously; even if Brian WASN'T to blame for this, he feared he would have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow when he had to go into town for supplies.  "Let's get out of here."

 

Sarah noticed Justin standing there in indecision, however, as if he didn't know what to do. "Justin?" she asked quietly in concern.

 

Justin bit his lip as he stared back at Brian, still feeling a little awkward after the way they had parted before, but knowing he didn't want to leave just yet.  But on the other hand, his father had practically ordered him to follow them out, and he knew he would come looking for him any minute.  "I...my father," he tried to explain, wondering if he was about to incur his wrath once again; he noticed that his mother had followed him and his brother out the door.  They no doubt would be expecting him to join them any second.  There was NO way, however, that he was going to go home with his brother after all this.  Just the thought of being anywhere near him made him want to puke.

 

"Justin?" Brian called out his name as their eyes met again.  "Don't go yet," he beseeched him softly.  He had to know that Justin misunderstood what he had been trying to say earlier, and that he wasn't to blame for his and Jared nearly coming to blows.

 

Justin swallowed, torn over what to do.  Any second now he expected his father to poke his head back in the door and demand that he come outside.

 

"I'll talk to him, Justin," Vic suddenly offered.  "I'll tell him that you will ride home with Emmett and me."

 

Justin eyed him dubiously.  "You think he'll go along with that?"

 

To his immense relief, Vic nodded; he was sure he could talk Craig into it; there were certain advantages to having been around as long as he had.  "Don't worry; you go with them and I'll take care of it."  With a reassuring nod of his head, he turned and hurried away.

 

"Let's go," Will told the others as the rest of the group walked toward the side door leading out to a small, concrete patio area with a couple of wooden picnic tables; they could all feel the stares of the others on them as they reached the door and opened it, blessedly finding the area unoccupied at present.

 

Will and Sarah sat down on one table with Emmett, while Justin felt Brian's hand on his arm gently leading him to the other one; they wound up sitting side-by-side as they stared over at the other party in the dim lighting.

 

Will sighed as Sarah looked over at him with some surprise over his self-control; normally, Will would have blown up and accused Brian of being the perpetrator instantly, but apparently things had changed somewhat.  It seemed that he was actually willing to hear the whole story before he placed the proper blame.  "Okay, let's hear the whole story.  And I want the truth, Brian."  His voice left no question that he would receive - and expect - nothing less from his nephew.

 

Justin felt Brian reach over and place his hand on his knee underneath the table as he began to speak; he suspected it was meant as a comforting, supportive gesture, but Justin could feel his body heat even through the thick denim fabric as he began to tell his aunt and uncle how the two of them had become 'separated' earlier (he chose not to divulge the actual reason why), and how Emmett had approached him in a move to try and divert his attention away from Justin.

 

Emmett then proceeded to back up Brian's version of events, revealing that Jared had enlisted him supposedly to keep Justin safe from harm and away from Brian.  As Justin sat there dumbstruck, Emmett had continued to divulge how Jared's initial plan had been for him to come onto Brian in an attempt to make him appear to be just a callous sort of gigolo who only cared about having his needs met.  The goal, according to Emmett, had been to break the two friends up so Justin could be safe from further pressure and abuse at the hands of Will and Sarah's nephew.

 

He concluded his story by telling them how Brian had figured out what was going on when he had committed a slip of the tongue, and how Brian had rushed away in search of Jared to have it out with him.  The rest, as they say, was history.

 

As Emmett wrapped up his version of the story, Sarah glanced over at the two boys sitting so close together at the other table; it was obvious that despite their earlier misunderstanding, the two of them still were quite taken with each other.  No one had forced them to sit that close to each other.  She was heartened, at least, to see that.

 

Emmett looked up as the door opened and his Uncle Vic walked back out.  Justin turned around to eye him anxiously in the dim light as Vic walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder.  "It's okay," he reassured him as Justin let out a deep breath of relief.  "I think they're going to have more than enough to handle with Jared for the time being."  One side of Vic's mouth crooked up in amusement as he told Justin, "I don't think he's doing a good job of playing the wounded party this time; I haven't heard the whole story yet, but I heard enough.  They left a few minutes ago," he informed them.  He glanced over at his nephew.  "Em has a good heart; I hope neither one of you is angry at him for what he did.  He thought he was protecting you from harm, Justin."

 

Justin nodded as he looked over at his friend.  "I know you were," he told him sincerely.  "I don't blame you at all." He sucked in a shaky breath, still reeling over the extent that Jared continued to go to just to dominate and torment him.  What had happened to the two brothers who used to be so close not so long ago?  He had grown up, he supposed, and now Jared somehow felt threatened by that.  Perhaps he always had, although it didn't have to be that way.  Now, however, he was afraid their path was sadly going to remain tumultuous and divergent.

 

"Justin, Son, we both have to be up early," Vic quietly reminded him.  "We'd best get going.  You ready?  Emmett?"

 

Emmett stood up and nodded as he walked over to his uncle, both of them looking over at Justin expectantly.  "Yeah, I think I've had more than enough drama for the day.  Just let me stop and pick up my pecan pie and I'll be ready to go."

 

Vic chuckled as he shook his head, not surprised in a way that Emmett would concentrate on that, even after everything else that had happened.  "We'll meet you out by the truck, then, okay?" he told Justin as the boy nodded.  "Don't take too long."

 

"Brian, time for us to head back, too," Will instructed his nephew just then to his dismay, his voice gruff but not overly caustic.  He was secretly relieved that his nephew hadn't wound up being the instigator of what had happened earlier, but they, too, had obligations to fulfill and he had a newborn calf that had to be closely watched for the next several days.

 

"But..."  Brian protested, desperately wanting, _needing_ to talk to Justin alone, to explain why he had said what he had said earlier; he couldn't believe how Justin had come to his defense against his own brother, despite what he had done.  It just made him feel like an even bigger jerk, and he really needed to straighten everything out with him.  "It's not that late..."

 

He looked over at his aunt for support, but in the growing darkness it was becoming difficult to ascertain his silent plea for understanding.

 

Nonetheless, he heard his aunt begin, "Will..."

 

"No, Missus," her husband said in that tone of voice that always indicated he was not going to back down.  Despite his belief that Brian had been the afflicted party in the altercation with the older Taylor boy, he had not appreciated being in such an embarrassing spotlight earlier and he was anxious to just put the whole, unpleasant incident behind them and get back to business.  Incidents like this in a small town tended to linger forever, so the sooner they could move on from it, the better.

 

"It's late enough," he told his wife and nephew as he stood up from the picnic table.  "I have Checkers' calf that needs tending and more fields that need to be plowed.  And Justin there needs to get up even earlier tomorrow for his race on Saturday.  No arguments; let's go.  Chores don't take a holiday, and neither can we."

 

Brian huffed out a protest, but he knew that no-nonsense tone of voice.  _Shit_.  He watched as his aunt reluctantly rose to join his uncle, both of them standing there waiting for him, and he let out a heavy, frustrated sigh.  He suspected he would get no sleep tonight - his thoughts would be far too preoccupied with the events of tonight, in addition to how Justin would fare back home.  How could Justin even go back to that house after what Jared had done?  And which son would his family support?  Him or his moron of a brother?

 

With great hesitation, he turned to Justin, knowing he urgently needed to say something to him.  "Justin..."

 

Justin sighed as he held up his hand for Brian to stop before he even started; he just couldn't handle any more tonight.  How did such a promising evening go awry so quickly?  Not only had Jared taken advantage of Emmett's sweet nature and idol worship of him - a boy who wouldn't hurt a fly - but he had also managed to make his father look like an idiot in front of the other townspeople; something that no doubt would be discussed at length when he got home, even though he had nothing to do with it, and neither did Brian.  Just what had happened to his brother to make him this hateful? They used to get along so well; they used to be close.  Now it seemed that Jared's single purpose in life was to make HIS life miserable.  And as much as he wanted to talk to Brian - especially after his aunt had sought to reassure him earlier that he really _did_ care for him - he just couldn't deal with it right now.  It was going to be tense enough when he got home; how was he going to walk back into that house?  He had done nothing wrong, but he knew the repercussions would be long lasting nonetheless.  And somehow in the midst of all this, he had to try to find a way to concentrate enough on his practice with Headstrong tomorrow to come out victorious in Saturday's race.  The thought of so much pressure and responsibility threatened to almost make him dizzy.

 

"I can't deal with this tonight," he told Brian at last to his disappointment.  "I...I have to go.  Vic and Em are waiting for me."  He turned around to go, just as Brian reached over to grasp his arm in one, last, desperate measure.

 

"Justin, I have to talk to you," he insisted, but Justin gently removed his arm from Brian's grasp.

 

"Not now, Brian," he murmured as he quickly turned to go; Brian watched him walk away toward the front of the structure rather than going back inside to reach the parking lot.  He couldn't blame him, he supposed; all of them had garnered more than enough unwelcome attention tonight.  "Fuck," he said under his breath as he let out a frustrated breath.  _Well, if you think I'm just going to let things remain the way they are, Justin Taylor, I've got news for you._

"Brian," he heard his aunt softly call his name as she walked over to stand next to him.  "Let him go; you can fix things with him tomorrow."  Will walked over to join them, overhearing the conversation, but choosing not to acknowledge it as he simply said instead, "Time to head home," before he, too, walked away toward the front of the building, following the same path that Justin had taken a few minutes earlier.

 

Brian sighed heavily in resignation as his aunt gave his shoulder a squeeze.  "It'll work out, Brian; I know it will," she whispered soothingly.  "Let him sleep on it."

 

"If he even _gets_ any sleep," he murmured guiltily as Justin's shadowy form disappeared around the corner of the barn.  Knowing there was nothing more he could do tonight,however, he reluctantly began to trail along behind his uncle, his aunt's hand still gripping his shoulder as she walked alongside him.  He knew that neither he nor Justin would likely get much sleep tonight.  He didn't dare try to go see him tonight, however, but tomorrow?  Tomorrow was a new day, and a new opportunity.  Before the day was over, he would resolve things with Justin, one way or the other.

 

* * *

 

Chapter End Notes:

 

_I'll have another part of this up shortly that details Craig and Jennifer's talk with their sons, as well as the 'morning after' ramifications.  How does Brian go about making amends with Justin?  You'll find out soon.;)_


	17. Shifting Dynamics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Craig comes to a surprising decision regarding his sons; Brian ponders how to make amends with Justin. Will he be successful or not?

 

 

Craig stared straight ahead as he drove back toward the farm, his jaw clenched with anger.  He had never been so humiliated in his life.  What should have been a pleasant evening of diversion had, instead, turned into a potential free-for-all.  If Vic and Justin hadn't reached his son and that Kinney boy in time, he had no doubt that they would have come to blows.  Perhaps that wouldn't have been such a bad thing in a way; the Walkers' nephew seemed to bring trouble wherever he went, so seeing him hauled away in handcuffs to spend some time in jail where he probably belonged had a certain appeal to him.  But in all honesty if the story he heard was true he couldn't blame only Kinney for what had happened.  He was coming to the inevitable realization that his own son was as much to blame as the other boy - if not more so. 

 

Jennifer glanced over at her husband's angry visage reflected in the glow of the dashboard, and knew Craig was furious; his fury was no doubt fueled by his embarrassment over being the brunt of ridicule at the social.  Craig had never really felt like he had fit in with the townsfolk from the start; after all, what did a man trained to be an accountant really have in common with farmers who used their hands to toil the land instead of crunching numbers?  She knew this incident, then, wouldn't help raise Craig's esteem in the eyes of the community, and she dreaded what was to come when they got home.

 

Taking a deep breath, she began, "Craig..."

 

But her husband instantly held up his hand.  "I'm not discussing this with you right now, Jen," he dismissed her curtly; he glanced through the truck's rearview mirror to observe Jared sitting in the vehicle's bed through the sliding window.  His son hadn't liked the idea of being ordered home like some puppy with his tail between his legs - especially when Justin had been permitted to come home with Vic, instead - but he didn't care.  If Jared was going to act like a fucking baby, he was going to be treated like one.

 

"This is going to wait until we're home; and Justin's there, too.  And I think it would be best if Emmett and Vic are called to the house to get their versions about what happened.  I want this whole mess out in the open, once and for all."

 

"Well, for once I agree with you," Jennifer told him, her lips pursed together in irritation.  She was fed up with Jared constantly interfering in their younger son's life.  She didn't have to be reminded of how much they had come to depend upon Justin, and how much Jared had failed in his responsibilities to pitch in.  When it came to pulling his own weight and helping the household out financially, Jared was more of a burden than a benefit.  She loved her sons - both of them - but right now she felt more shame and disgust toward her older son than pride.  "It's time we get some things settled between _all_ of us."

 

Craig let out a heavy breath, the tension thick in the air as he tightly gripped the steering wheel.  "Trust me, Jen; it will be," he promised her grimly as she nodded. 

 

* * *

 

"Where IS that boy?" Will groused as he glanced over at the front entrance of the barn; Brian had told him and Sarah that he needed to use the restroom and would meet them out front after helping to load her canning jars and casserole dishes into the bed of the truck.  That had been ten minutes ago, but he had not returned yet. 

 

Sarah peered through the truck's windshield and wondered the same thing.  "I'm sure he'll be along any minute," she assured her husband, silently hoping she was right.  Justin had left several minutes ago with Vic and Emmett, and the rest of the Taylors had departed before that, so she couldn't imagine what Brian was doing now.  For just a second, she allowed a little fear to creep into her mind that maybe Brian had just got fed up with everything and had bolted, but she knew he really had nowhere to go - and he had nothing with him except for the clothes on his back.  So she didn't seriously think he would do something like that, at least she hoped not.  As the minutes ticked by, however, the doubts were surfacing more and more like some unwelcome visitor.

 

Finally, after approximately another minute, she watched as the front door opened and Brian appeared in the glow of the overhead light.  She couldn't help the smile that broke out on her face as Brian began to walk toward the truck with two stuffed animals clutched under his arms.

 

"What in the world?" Will growled.  "We're in a hurry to leave, and he takes time out to go play games first?  What is WITH that boy?"  Just when he thought he saw some level of maturity in his nephew, he goes and pulls this kind of stunt.

 

Sarah grinned.  "No, he didn't," she told him.  "He and Justin played some games earlier out back, and those were the prizes they won.  He must have gone back to retrieve them."  She found that fact very sweet, and it served to cement in her mind just how much Brian did care about her young neighbor.  Hopefully, he would have a chance to tell Justin himself that soon. 

 

"How do you know that?" Will asked her while he watched open-mouthed as his nephew approached them.  

 

Sarah smiled mysteriously, unwilling to divulge the true source of her information.  "Oh, I have my ways," she simply told him as Brian walked up to them and, without explaining why he was carrying a stuffed cow and a stuffed horse under his arms, silently shuffled over to the rear of the truck and climbed in. 

 

Sarah gave her perplexed husband a small pat on the arm and a tender smile before, shaking his head, Will started up the truck and drove off.

 

* * *

 

Emmett glanced over at his friend sitting across from him; it was hard to see Justin's expression, but he was decidedly quieter than normal. Em could practically carry on a conversation for the both of them with his non-stop chatter if he had to, but even he could tell that Justin had a lot on his mind.  Not that he blamed him; between the race coming up day after tomorrow, Jared's manipulations, and what would no doubt be an unpleasant confrontation with his brother and parents when he got home, he knew Justin had a lot to worry about.

 

So when Justin suddenly spoke up just then, it was a little startling, especially when it came in the form of an apology.

 

"I'm sorry, Em," he heard Justin murmur from the other side of the truck.

 

Emmett frowned.  "Sorry about what?" 

 

Justin let out a breath.  "Sorry about what Jared did to you.  That was uncalled for.  He can be such an asshole." 

 

"Yeah, I'm beginning to see that now," Emmett replied dryly.  He paused.  "Sweetie, you didn't do anything to me.  You have no reason to apologize."  Using the plastic knife he had left stuck in the middle of his pecan pie earlier, he quickly cut a small sliver of the pie from what was left in the aluminum pan (after all, he didn't mind sharing, but he did have his limits), and held the small piece out toward his friend.  "Have some pie," he told his friend.

 

Justin smiled a little at that comment, even though Emmett couldn't really see it.  "No, thanks," he told him as Emmett shrugged before plopping it into his mouth.  "I don't think pecan pie is going to help me right now."

 

"Baby, a piece of homemade pecan pie always makes me feel a whole lot better," Emmett insisted, but he knew what Justin meant.  He sobered as he asked, "What do you think is going to happen when you get home?"

 

Justin sighed.  "Nothing I'm looking forward to.  I'm sure my father will throw his weight around and probably say that my brother has been falsely accused of what he did, and Jared will claim he was the hapless, innocent victim in the whole situation.  He will no doubt try to blame Brian for everything that happened tonight - and probably get away with it, too, just like he always does."

 

"Surely not," Emmett murmured sympathetically as his heart went out to his friend.

 

"Don't be surprised," Justin warned him dejectedly.  That was what he had come to expect when it came to him and his brother. 

 

Emmett licked his lips as he swallowed the last of his pie and eyed Justin thoughtfully.  "Well, I think things will be different this time," he told him resolutely.  "My uncle Vic and I will both explain what happened; surely that will make a difference.  He'll listen to my uncle; he trusts him."

 

Justin eyed him dubiously.  "Maybe.  But I'm not counting on it."

 

Em nodded; he was still feeling disgusted over how Jared had used him to hurt Brian AND Justin; he was going to be more than happy to help straighten the record out.  What had he ever seen in that conceited boy, anyway?  Yes, Jared was very good-looking, but he knew it, too.  He had always prided himself on judging people more on how they looked on the inside and not the outside, and being a good judge of character.  He had obviously failed miserably this time, however. Well, he would never make that mistake again, and he would never look at Jared in the same way, either.  He recalled finding Brian earlier tonight all alone, and how forlorn he had looked, and he couldn't help asking Justin about it. 

 

"Justin, why weren't you and Brian together when I found him out on the midway earlier?  He seemed out of sorts somehow." 

 

Justin frowned.  "Out of sorts?  What do you mean?"

 

Em nodded.  "Kind of like he was distracted or bothered about something -even before I was the cause of it," he added wryly.  "Why weren't you with him?"

 

Justin flushed as he recalled his and Brian's disagreement earlier, and what had led up to it; he could almost still feel Brian's lips on his as they had kissed.  He could also remember how meaningless he had felt afterward, however, when Brian had implied that he had been paying attention to him all this time merely to get into his pants.  That still hurt, even though after talking to both him and his aunt, there was a glimmer of hope that he had been wrong about that.  He still didn't know for sure, though, and maybe he never would now. 

 

"We...we had a disagreement earlier," he finally told his friend.

 

"A disagreement?  I thought it might have been something like that.  What kind of disagreement?"

 

Justin bit his lip; he liked Em, and considered him a friend, but they only saw each other sporadically.  Just like with Brian's aunt, he wasn't sure if he was willing to discuss something so private with someone else.  "Em, I really don't want to discuss it; I'm sorry," he murmured in embarrassment.

 

Em was disappointed that Justin wouldn't reveal more about it, but he respected his wishes as he replied, "Well, whatever it was, Brian wasn't happy about it." 

 

Justin forced himself not to read too much into that as he replied, "How do you know?"

 

Emmett shrugged.  "I could tell.  Jared kept mentioning to me what a violent, aggressive person he was.  But he didn't appear that way to me.  I mean, he was kind of a jerk to me and all, but I think it was mainly because he was worried about _you_." 

 

Justin's heart began to pound as he repeated, "Worried about me?"

 

"Yeah.  When I told him that you had already left - even though I knew at the time that it was a lie," Emmett hastened to confess, "he just plopped down on a bench and had the saddest look on his face, kind of like he'd just lost his puppy or something."

 

Justin snorted.  "Yeah, or his favorite toy." 

 

Emmett's mouth opened in epiphany then as he realized at least what Justin might be talking about.  Apparently he felt like Brian was using him to get what he wanted.  "I don't know," he told him.  "I didn't get that impression, Sweetie.  I think he was genuinely concerned about you and seemed disappointed that you had left. I think he wanted to talk to you." 

 

Justin silently digested that piece of information, still refusing to see more in it than there was.  "Maybe," he conceded at last.  He sighed.  "I'm not looking forward to when I get home," he repeated to Emmett  as they neared the cutoff that led back to the farm.  It wouldn't be long now.

 

"I know," Emmett murmured compassionately.  "But Uncle Vic and I have your back.  It'll be okay." 

 

"Thanks, Em," Justin told him, sincerely grateful for at least that much, but that didn't really help to lessen his dread any.  "I'm going to need it."

 

* * *

 

Brian followed his aunt and uncle into their farmhouse, wanting nothing more than to carry his embarrassing but precious cargo upstairs to his room and avoid any further discussion about what had happened.  He didn't know what had possessed him to rush back to the midway and retrieve the prizes, but something urged him to anyway.  Perhaps it was because of the pleasant memories that it had evoked; at least until everything went to hell later when he had put his foot in his mouth.  He couldn't help silently continuing to soundly berate himself for what he had done regarding Justin, but it was too late to take it back now; he could only hope to make amends somehow.  He just didn't know at the moment how he would do that, but he knew he had to try.

 

"Brian?" his uncle called out to him just as he reached the bottom of the staircase; he sighed in resignation as he placed his hand on the curved, wooden bannister knob, knowing he wouldn't be getting off easy as he replied, "Yeah?"

 

"I want your word as a man that you did not start what happened tonight between you and Jared," he told him quietly.  "I know what I heard from Vic, his nephew, and the Taylor boy, but I want to hear it from you now."

 

Sarah stood several feet behind her husband and Brian, her eyes widened in stunned surprise.  She had hoped that Will would not jump to conclusions, but even she was somewhat taken aback by his quiet statement. She had longed to tell Will on the way home the full reason why Jared and Brian had almost come to blows, but she ultimately decided not to, feeling that it might be seen as breaking a confidence between her and Justin. Perhaps, however, she wouldn't need to as she waited for Brian to respond.  Would he answer in kind, however, or fall back on his previous defense mechanism of surliness and stubborn indignation?

 

Brian stared over at his uncle; the man was definitely an enigma.  Gruff on the outside, damaged emotionally on the inside.  It suddenly occurred to him, then; was he that much different than himself?  He noticed his uncle eyeing him intently before he replied softly but firmly, "Yes, Uncle.  I give you my word; I had nothing to do with it."

 

Sarah watched, somehow realizing this was a watershed moment for her two 'men' as Will simply nodded back at him.  "Best be getting off to bed now, then," he told his nephew.  "Six will come early enough tomorrow, and we need to head into town after breakfast for supplies before the chores are done."

 

Brian glanced over at his aunt standing several feet away before he nodded silently and turned to walk up the steps, the stuffed animals still clutched firmly under his left arm. A few seconds later, Will and Sarah heard the closing of Brian's bedroom door. 

 

Sarah quietly walked up to her husband and placed her hand around his neck.  "I love you, Mr. Walker," she told him as she gave him a brief kiss on the cheek and leaned her head against his. 

 

"Don't go reading too much into it, Woman," he told her gruffly, but there was no sting in his voice.  "I'm merely verifying what I saw with the boy."

 

Sarah smiled against him before she pulled back to look him in the eye, noticing Will keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead.  She nodded, knowing he would not want her to make a big deal out of it.  "It's been a long day," she murmured.  "I think we should get ready for bed, too."

 

Will nodded as he reached for her hand. She clasped it firmly, relishing the rare affectionate gesture as the two of them slowly headed upstairs toward their own bedroom.

 

* * *

 

Justin steeled himself before he, Vic, and Emmett walked up to the back door of the farmhouse, noticing the kitchen light was on despite the late hour; just as he thought, they were apparently going to hash this out now.  He was grateful that Vic and Em had decided to come in with him when they got home.  That might at least make his father not quite so volatile if the two of them were there as witnesses.  It was little comfort at the moment, though, as he took a deep breath before opening the back door and stepping inside, his heart pounding in anxiety.

 

Just as he thought, his father, mother, and brother was all sitting at the table as he came in; all three looked over at him as he turned around to face them.  He noticed his father's angry look first, followed by what appeared to be a certain amount of smugness on his brother's face and then sympathy on his mother's part as he hesitated, unsure of what to do, before Vic and Em followed him inside to stand on either side of him.

 

"Good," his father stated. "I'm glad Vic and Emmett are with you; that saves me the trouble of having to go find them," he explained, his lips drawn into a tight line. 

 

Justin noticed a flicker of apprehension spreading across his brother's face as he realized it wasn't just going to be his word against his; this time there were additional witnesses to his duplicity and deceit.

 

"Let's go into the living room," Jennifer softly suggested as she pushed back from her chair and stood to the side expectantly.

 

Craig nodded brusquely as he stood up to join her, noticing his older son remaining in place.  "Jared, you heard your mother.  Get up."

 

Jared glared over at Justin before he grudgingly did as he was told, scooting back from the table as the chair made an unpleasant grating noise before he rose to his feet; without a word of greeting to the others, he turned to head down the short hallway toward the front of the house.

 

"Shall we?" Jennifer asked, her polite words sounding distinctly out of place in the middle of such high tension.

 

Vic nodded at her as he, Emmett, and Justin turned to follow her and Craig into the living room.  Jared had decided to slouch in one of their overstuffed chairs - the one in the corner - as Craig and Jennifer chose to sit together on one end of the sofa.  After a slight hesitation, Vic walked over and sat down on the other side of Jennifer as Emmett took his place in the other chair.

 

"Justin, honey, go get one of the kitchen chairs," Jennifer suggested to her son, but Justin shook his head.

 

"No," he told her defiantly.  "I'd rather stand."  He had no idea what was coming, but at least if he stood up the chances that he could leave quickly were greater than if he chose to sit.  He folded his arms across his chest as he leaned his back against the oppostie wall nearest the hallway, swallowing hard over the thought of what was to come.  But he was ready to have it out; he was tired of all this bullshit.

 

Jennifer nodded as she turned to look at her husband.  "Craig, do you want to begin?" she asked, wondering how long it would be before he exploded.  She had seen his anger boiling just under the surface ever since they had left the social.

 

"Damn straight I do," he told her as he turned to look at Jared.  "First of all, I want you to know that you embarrassed the hell out of me this evening, Jared.  There is no excuse for that."

 

Jared's mouth fell open; that was the last thing he had expected from his normally supportive father.  "What are you talking about, Dad?  I was just defending myself!" 

 

Justin couldn't help the huff of disbelief that escaped his parted lips.  How could he still be maintaining his innocence?  "You are unbelievable, Jared!" he shouted at him, his eyes flashing as he placed his hands on his hips.  "You were the entire cause of ALL of it!"

 

"I was not!" he yelled back, feeling like he was being backed into a corner.  "Kinney has a bad temper on him and he was charging at me!  What did you expect me to do, just stand there and let him beat the hell out of me?" 

 

"You're ridiculous, Jared!" Justin exclaimed angrily.  "We all know that you started the whole thing!  I saw it - I called out Brian's name and you sucker punched him as soon as he turned his head to look for me!  That's not defending yourself; that's being a damn _coward_!" 

 

"Justin, watch your language," Craig told him as Justin stared at him, incredulous.  Before he could point out he wasn't the _only_ one using profanity, however, to his slight relief he heard his father say, "You, too, Jared."  His brother huffed in annoyance as Craig told him," Now I want to know exactly what started the whole thing in the first place."  Jared, however, remained mute initially.  "Well? I'm sure the Kinney boy didn't just walk up to you and pick a fight for no reason.  He would have too much to lose with HIS record."

 

Jared appeared flustered by the intense stare his father was giving him, as well as the hard tone of his voice as he frantically thought of what to say.  He glanced over at Emmett, who raised an eyebrow at him almost in a silent challenge.  He knew he was quickly becoming boxed in, but he was desperate.  "He...he was angry that I had rejected him earlier, and he was trying to get back at me through Justin."

 

"What? This isn't fair!" Justin cried out.  "Brian's not here to de..."

 

Craig held up his hand.  "Quiet, Justin! I want to hear what Jared has to say first, and then you'll get your chance."  Justin shook his head in disbelief but held his tongue somehow as Craig pressed his other son, "Get back at you _how_ , Jared?" 

 

Jared licked his lips nervously and swallowed, knowing he was traveling down a dangerous, slippery path now.  "Well, he thought he could make me jealous by coming on to Justin instead.  And he threatened to hurt him if he didn't go along with what he wanted.  I was only trying to keep my brother safe."

 

"Oh, my God!" Justin retorted.  "You are out of your _mind_!  Brian never did any of that!" 

 

"Of course YOU would say that!" Jared argued as he snorted back at him.  "You're too afraid to deny it - and you're too infatuated with him to care!"

 

"Boys!" Jennifer tried to intervene.  "This isn't getting us anywhere..."

 

"I'm not going to stand here and listen to him LIE through his teeth!" Justin shouted back, completely ignoring his mother.  "I've had enough of this!  Tell the goddamn truth for once in your life, Jared!  YOU were the jealous one because you got rejected, not the other way around!  And you used Emmett to hurt ME!"

 

"Boys!" Craig snarled as he huffed in exasperation.  "Quiet, both of you!"  Jared and Justin glared at each other as Craig turned to Emmett.  "Emmett, I want to hear what you have to say about all this."

 

Emmett stared over at Jared for a moment before he smiled slightly.  "Gladly.  Jared came up to me earlier today and told me that the Walker's nephew had been threatening to hurt Justin because he wouldn't, uh, he wouldn't do what he wanted him to do."

 

"See?" Jared said smugly, only to have Craig whirl around and fix an angry stare at him as he promptly shut up again.

 

"Go on, Emmett," Craig prodded him.  "What did he want Justin to do?"

 

Justin's face began to turn red in embarrassment.  _Shit_. 

 

Emmett glanced over at his friend in sympathy, but he felt he had no choice.  "Uh...he wanted Justin to have sex with him."  There, it was out in the open now, for good or for worse. 

 

Justin blew out a humiliated breath as he looked up at the ceiling.  Could this get any worse?

 

Jennifer bit her lip; she wasn't happy about that possibility, but in all honesty it didn't surprise her that much, either. She had a feeling that there was a lot more to her son's relationship with Kinney than she knew; the fact that Justin had met the other boy late at night the other evening and the constant visits she had observed between the two of them near the horse racing track were evidence of that, although she knew Justin didn't realize she had seen them together out there.  Her son was so young, though, and Kinney was so rough around the edges; what could they possibly have in common? 

 

Craig's jaw clenched and his left eye twitched; those were the only obvious signs of his discomfort as he left out a deep breath.  He was afraid that was going to be the response.  "Okay," he told Emmett evenly.  "So Jared enlisted your help to try and break them up before Justin got hurt?"

 

Emmett stared over at Jared as he nodded.  "Well, that was the story, anyway," he admitted.  "But that was before I found out the _truth_.  Now I know he was just using me - and my feelings for him - to get back at Brian."

 

"And what is the truth?" Craig asked wearily; he had heard so many 'truths' by now, he didn't know WHAT to think.

 

Emmett gave Jared a haughty sort of look before he replied, "It's just as Justin said.  Brian told me he never laid a hand on him.  In fact, when I saw him earlier tonight and told him that Justin had left - I actually made that up because I thought I was trying to protect him," he explained to Craig, "he looked pretty upset about it.  He certainly didn't try to slap _me_ around.  And besides; look at him!  Does he look like he needs to pressure anyone into having sex with him?  I mean, come on - the boy's the hottest thing I've ever seen, and trust me, I've seen a lot of them in..."

 

"Uh, that's enough, Emmett," Vic told him quickly before he got too carried away.  "I'm sure Craig gets the idea." 

 

"Oh. Well, where was I?  Oh, yeah," Emmett continued.  "I can read people really well, and this Kinney was being honest with me.  The only time he got angry with me was when I accused him of threatening Justin, and he immediately knew who was behind the whole lie."  He turned to look at Jared as the other boy glared at him angrily.  "You should be ashamed of yourself, Jared Taylor," Em told him.  "You were the only one who managed to bamboozle me.  Well, as my Aunt Lula used to say, _fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me._   Never again, Baby; you're nothing but ugly to me now." 

 

"He's lying!" Jared insisted.  "It's his word against mine!  Are you going to believe him, or your own son?"

 

"What am I, Jared?" Justin suddenly asked from across the room as all heads turned toward him.  "I'm _his_ son, too!" he cried out, his eyes glistening with frustration.  He shook his head as he looked over at his father, the words pouring out of him and representing months, if not years of repressed emotion.  "Dad, for once listen to ME!  Believe ME! I'm telling you the truth!  Brian has never forced me to do anything I didn't want to do!  And before you even ask, no, we have NOT had sex, not that it's anyone's business!"  He brushed some tears away from his eyes in anger.  "Why are you never proud of what _I_ do?  Why do you never appreciate what I've accomplished? Why does Jared never do any wrong?"  He let out a heavy sigh before swallowing the lump in his throat.  "Hell, why do I even _try_?"

 

He pressed his lips tightly together before slowly sliding down the wall to sit with his back against it, bending his knees and tilting his head down to cradle it in his hands, feeling utterly and completely exhausted.  He didn't realize his father had quietly risen from his place on the couch to walk over to him until he felt someone's hand on the top of his head.  Lifting his tear-stained face in surprise, he gazed up into his father's face as Craig extended his hand downward.

 

"Come here," Craig told him softly as Justin frowned slightly.  Nevertheless, he did as he was asked just before his father unexpectedly swept him into an embrace and wrapped his arms around him.  Justin stood there in shock for a few seconds before he slid his arms around his father and leaned into him, sniffling slightly as he laid his head against his shoulder.  For just a moment, he was transformed into a six-year-old boy again, doing much the same thing that he was doing now after he had fallen from his horse that year and his father, having witnessed the accident, had rushed over from the nearby stable to comfort him. 

 

"I do believe you," Craig whispered in his ear as he held him tight.  "And I AM proud of you, Justin; so very proud." 

 

Justin pulled back to look into his father's face; gone at least temporarily was all the hardness he had become so accustomed to seeing recently.  The man looking at him was the one he used to remember seeing, back before times got so tough for them and Jared had changed from being an independent, free spirit into a spiteful, deceitful, and resentful good-for-nothing. Justin let out a deep breath before he replied, "You are?"  He still couldn't quite believe it.

 

Craig smiled then and let out a breath of his own as he nodded.  "Yeah, Justin, I am.  And in case you ever have any doubts, I DO love you, Son; more than you probably know." 

 

One side of Justin's mouth lifted up as he pointed out wryly, "Well, you have a funny way of showing it sometimes."

 

Craig chuckled briefly at that.  "Yeah, I guess I do," he admitted before his face sobered.  "I've...I've been under a lot of pressure, Justin.  It takes a lot away from a man when he feels like he can't support his family properly.  It's not an excuse for the way that I've treated you, I know that.  But maybe it will help you to better understand it anyway."

 

Justin stood there for a few seconds before he nodded and broke away from his father's embrace, feeling a little awkward being on display in front of everyone, but his heart felt just a little lighter now.  There was still the big problem of his brother, though.  He looked over at Jared, who appeared clearly uncomfortable now.  "What about _him_?" he asked his father.

 

Craig set his jaw, his face tensing a little as he turned around to look at his oldest son; the son that he had once felt so much camaraderie with as they had worked on all those cars together and the one he often raved about to his friends.  The son that had become a bitter disappointment to him.  It was as if he were finally seeing his older child with a set of new eyes, and finally opening up his ears to hear what his wife had been trying to tell him for some time now.   And he found that he didn't llike what he was seeing or hearing.  He took a deep breath, knowing what he had to do.

 

"You have until the end of the month, Jared," he told him quietly.  "You have until the end of the month to find another place to live."  Jared's mouth fell open in stunned disbelief as his father continued, "Ever since you got out of school, you have contributed nothing to this household to keep this farm solvent, while your brother has shouldered most of the responsibility.  You're an adult now, Jared, and it's time you learn the hard way that with age comes consequences.  You can come out here to work on your car if you want and to visit with your mother and me, but it's time for you to find your own way in life." 

 

Craig looked over at his wife, who appeared to be on the verge of breaking into tears.  Jennifer nodded at him in agreement, however, as he told their son, "We'll always love you, Jared.  But neither your mother nor I can look the other way any longer.  I suggest you start looking immediately for somewhere else to live; you have two weeks." 

 

Jared continued to gape as his father as he shook his head. _No, this can't be happening._   "But...but you _can't_ do this!" he protested as he looked over at his father in disbelief.  "Where will I _go_? I don't even have a job!" 

 

"Put your skills to use," Craig told him flatly.  "You know how to break down cars forward and backward; find a way to turn that into a job."  He turned to look at his other son; Justin appeared just as shocked as Jared was, but he was also looking decidedly worn out.  "Best get up to bed, Justin," he told him softly.  "You have a lot of work to do before the race." 

 

Justin nodded as he father reached over and gave his shoulder a brief squeeze.  Jennifer stood up as he prepared to leave, walking over to him to give him a hug.  "Get some rest, Honey," she whispered to him as he nodded and, with a nod to Emmett and Vic, he slowly shuffled up the steps toward his room.

 

Craig waited until he heard Justin's bedroom door close before he turned back to address his other son.  "And one more thing, Jared.  If I so much as hear one word about how you have been harassing either Justin, Emmett, OR even the Walker's nephew anymore, I will drag your ass out of here immediately instead of giving you until the end of the month, do you understand?"

 

Jared relied on his last hope as he turned to Jennifer.  "Mom?" he asked hopefully, putting every ounce of emotion into that one word.

 

Jennifer's eyes watered, but she refused to give in.  It was time for some tough love.  "I agree with your father, Jared," she told him to his dismay.  "It's time for you to be a man now and own up to your responsibilities.  Now go up to bed and think about what you've done - and what you need to do going forward." 

 

Jared's face contorted into defeat as he glumly nodded, propelling himself to his feet.  He stood there, looking over at his father one last time, before he turned and walked over to the steps, slowly ascending until a few minutes later, he closed his bedroom door.

 

Craig let out an audible sigh as he turned to Vic and Emmett.  "Thank you for bringing Justin home," he told them.  "And thanks for helping me to figure out the truth about what happened tonight."  He grew silent for a moment before he told Vic, "I didn't want to have to do that."

 

Vic nodded.  "Yeah, I know," he told him, realizing how much that had to cost his old friend.  "But you had to do it, Craig.  He was like a leech sucking the blood out of this family.  And it wasn't fair to Justin..."

 

"I know," Craig interrupted him quietly.  "I know it all now.  I was just too dense to realize it before." 

 

Vic reached over and grasped his shoulder.  "Believe it or not, one day Jared will thank you for what you did tonight.  You did the right thing."

 

Craig looked over at the chair that Jared had just vacated.  "I hope so, Vic.  I really hope so." 

 

* * *

 

_Next Morning - 6:30 a.m._

 

Justin felt the sun's rays on his face before he opened his eyes; he had collapsed onto his bed, totally drained last night, as soon as he had closed the bedroom door behind him and he had surprisingly slept the entire night through.  He would have bet it would have been a fitful, restless sleep after what had happened earlier, but once his head had hit the pillow, he had fallen into a deep, exhausted slumber.

 

Now as his eyes fluttered open, he turned to stare over at his small bedside clock, realizing he needed to get up.  He would have normally already showered, dressed, and been down to breakfast by now, but perhaps it was just as well.  He was dreading running into Jared now after what his father had done. 

 

That had been a shock.  He would never in a million years have expected him to do that; but he awoke this morning feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.  He still didn't know how he was going to reconcile his responsibilities here at home with his dream to go to college, but at least by the end of the month Jared would be out of the house and he wouldn't have to worry about him constantly harassing him anymore.

 

Stretching his arms above his head, he twisted his body to rise from the bed and walk the few feet over to his dresser, pulling some clothing out before turning to tread toward his door; he was thankful not to hear any sound from Jared's room.  Hopefully his brother was being true to form and sleeping in late like he normally did.

 

He was just about to turn the doorknob to exit when a flash of something black and brown caught his eye on the floor near the window.  "No way," he whispered in shock as he placed his clothes down on the bed before walking over to pick up the stuffed horse lying on its side and stared down at it, his heart pounding in recognition.  It had to be the same horse that Brian had presented to him last night out on the midway.  But how did it get here?

 

He looked over at the open window and it was then that he knew; somehow Brian must have retrieved the toy and brought it home with him last night.  "You crazy idiot," he murmured softly as he held it in his hands. He couldn't help smiling wistfully, though, over Brian's thoughtfulness.  Obviously Brian had used his unorthodox method of communication when he got home last night and had somehow managed to lob the animal into his bedroom last night.  He had been so mentally drained that he must have slept right through it.

 

_At least it wasn't my shoes or more rocks,_ he thought to himself wryly as he idly stroked the horse's mane, his thoughts wandering back to the wonderful time he had had with Brian at the social.  It had been so great, being with Brian and having fun. He seldom had time to simply experience joy any more, but Brian had managed to accomplish that last night; at least until they had had their argument.  Now, however, as he thoughtfully gazed at the horse's face, his hopes began to rise that perhaps Brian's aunt had been right; he really _did_ care about him.

 

He smiled, prepared to place the horse on his dresser, when he noticed what appeared to be a folded piece of paper stuck under the horse's bridle.  Curious, he pulled the slip of paper out and opened it up to read it:

 

_Come see Checkers and me down by the swimming hole after dinner tonight.  We'll be waiting for you. ~Brian_

So Brian apparently had retrieved _both_ stuffed animals somehow.  He impulsively hugged the horse to his body briefly, his heart hammering at the thought of seeing Brian again, before he walked over and propped it up against his bedroom dresser mirror, patting it once as if to make sure he really wasn't imagining it before he picked his clothes back up and headed toward the bathroom to take his shower. 

 

* * *

_One Hour Later_

"Don't dawdle, Brian," Will reproached his nephew quietly as the feed store clerk rang up their order.  "Get a hold of those feed bags and put them in the back of the truck; I'll be along shortly." 

 

Brian sighed as he reached over and pulled off one of the 50-pound bags of chicken feed from the counter and slung it over his shoulder to carry it over to the front entrance; a few minutes later, his uncle was still shooting the bull with the wizened, suspendered man standing near the cash register as he placed the second bag on top of the first in the back of the truck bed.  It was becoming obvious to him that the feed store was much more than just a place to load up on supplies; it was akin to the town barber shop.  From the notes plastered on a bulletin board near the entrance advertising puppies for sale and the newest fertilizer, to the benches perched on either side of the door as you entered, and the area near the cash register counter, it was clearly a place to catch up with current events and the latest gossip.

 

Fortunately, the man his uncle was currently conversing with didn't seem to recognize him from last night's altercation; he had glanced over at him curiously for a moment with a cursory nod before he turned his attention back to his uncle with nary a hint of concern.  It was just as well; until he could make things right with Justin, he was more than content to just lie low for a while.

 

He had walked over to the Taylor's farmhouse after his aunt and uncle had gone to bed last night, hoping he could somehow get Justin's attention and speak to him.  But even though the window was open, and he called up to him as loudly as he dared, Justin either didn't hear him or refused to acknowledge his presence.  Afraid that his parents - or even worse, Jared - would discover he was there, he had finally given up after approximately fifteen minutes and had elected to lob the stuffed horse into the open window and hope for the best instead. 

 

Now as he stood leaning against the side of the truck waiting for his uncle to emerge, he grimaced as he thought back to his tactless comment last night to Justin and just how he could make it up to him.  He thought the horse had been a nice touch, but he figured he would need to do way more than that.  Why couldn't he just come out and say the words that Justin wanted to hear?  But that was not his way; of course, living in this burg of a town wasn't his style, either, but he was slowly coming to grips with the slower pace and the lack of amenities he had come to take for granted before.  As he thought back to the times he had spent with Justin, though, somehow he didn't miss all the conveniences nearly as much as he thought he would.

 

His eyes wandered a few storefronts down to a sign hanging under a green and white awning, and a small smile broke out on his face; glancing toward the feed store to observe his uncle still chatting away with the other man, he hurriedly walked down the sidewalk to the shop located several feet away, pausing to look through the glass display windows before deciding to enter.  He really knew nothing about this sort of shop, but he figured the sales clerk inside would be able to help him.

 

A few minutes later, he carried a flat, rectangular box under his arm and placed it under the truck's passenger seat, hiding it just before his uncle emerged from the feed store.

 

* * *

_Same Time - Taylor Farmhouse_

Justin looked up from his place next to Headstrong as he heard a car motor revving; a souped-up car of some type was heading toward their home, the dust kicking up from the tire's movements.  He frowned as he watched it slow down near the barn; he recognized one of Jared's friends, Doug Kesterson, emerging from the car and standing near the driver's side door for a few seconds before Jared came out of the back of the house, a large duffle bag slung over his right shoulder.

 

His eyes locked onto his brother's for a moment as Jared turned to notice him standing near the stables, until, with a defiant sort of look, he swung the bag higher onto his shoulder and walked to the car, slinging it into the backseat before he turned and headed over to the passenger side to get in.  The other boy slid behind the steering wheel, and a few seconds later the car fishtailed in front of the house and then accelerated much too quickly back toward the main road, disappearing out of sight a few minutes later.

 

Justin let out a melancholy sigh; apparently Jared had decided to leave earlier than the end of the month.  He hadn't even seen him since last night and now he was gone to who knows where. How he wished it had never come to this; despite all the grief  his brother had wreaked upon him, he was still his only brother and he loved him.  In a way it was a relief to have Jared gone, but it left him with a profound sense of sadness nonetheless.  He wondered if they would ever be able to patch things up, but for now he had other worries to deal with. 

 

A soft chuffing noise next to him made him turn his attention back to more urgent matters.  "Okay, boy," he murmured as he reached up to soothingly stroke the side of Headstrong's head.  "We'll get going."  He quickly jumped up into the sulky's seat, slipping on his helmet and grabbing the reins to give them a quick tug.  Soon he and Headstrong were trotting rapidly around the track; as usual, Justin was soon focused on his practice as he and the horse continued to cycle around the oval path, thoughts of Brian, Jared, his college aspirations and the shifting relationship with his father temporarily pushed aside as he strove to concentrate on his goal tomorrow. It was the same every time he practiced for a race; it was as if he and Headstrong were one unit, both of them fused together.  By now he could anticipate every move Headstrong made on the track, what every shake of his head meant, and whether he was tired or getting his second wind, merely by the sounds and motions he made.  It was one of the reasons why he and the horse had been so successful at the betting tracks.

 

As soon as he was done a few hours later, however, and Headstrong was grazing placidly in the nearby paddock, Justin couldn't help thinking about Brian and what he might have had to deal with once he got back home after the social last night.  Had his uncle wound up blaming him for what had happened?  Or had he actually listened to him and believed what he and Emmett had tried to tell him?  Hopefully he would find out tonight when he met with him.  And yes, he had decided that he would seek out Brian at the swimming hole after dinner, just like he had asked him to do in the note.

 

Brian continued to be such a contradiction to him; cocky, arrogant, and brash at times, but also thoughtful, unpredictable, funny and sweet at other times.  Was it possible that he really had just not known how to express his feelings toward him last night and had not meant for it to come out the way that it had?  The words had hurt, certainly.  But he also knew that he felt something special toward Brian, and he thought he had sensed some of the same feelings in him.  All he knew at that moment was that he had to give Brian a chance to explain, and the relative seclusion provided at the swimming hole seemed like the perfect place in which to do it.  In a way, too, it was fitting that they meet back at the place where they had had their first private encounter. 

 

Time seemed to go by torturously slow the rest of the afternoon.  Justin spied Brian way out in the back part of the Walkers' property atop their old tractor for a while when he was practicing earlier, but he had been too far away to make eye contact with him; the next time he had rounded the track, Brian had disappeared from view.

 

Now as he headed into supper, his mind was occupied with thoughts of their pending rendezvous and he was starting to feel nervous; his stomach was tied up in knots and he felt almost nauseous with anxiety.  Swinging the backdoor open, he was greeted with a sort of wistful smile by his mother, who was taking out some homemade rolls from the oven.

 

"Hi, honey," she called over to him softly.  "Go wash up; I'm just getting the table set."  She wiped her hands off on her apron as she reached over to retrieve a basket lined with a red-and-white checkered towel to place the warm rolls inside. 

 

Justin nodded, noticing three places set at the table.  It seemed odd to not have a fourth one where Jared normally sat.  "Where's Dad?" he asked her.

 

"He'll be along shortly," she told him.  "He's out in the barn."  She sighed.  "He's been out there most of the day."

 

Justin studied her carefully, trying to interpret what she wasn't saying.  "Mom...I saw Jared leave this morning with Doug.  Was he...?"

 

She nodded her head, her face etched with sadness.  "Yes, he decided he didn't want to stick around until the end of the month; he's going to be staying with him, at least for a while." 

 

Justin bit his lip.  "I'm sorry, Mom." 

 

Jennifer brought the rolls over to the table and placed them down before reaching to gently grasp Justin by his shoulders.  "Justin, you have nothing to be sorry for; Jared brought all this on himself.  I'm sorry it had to come to this, too, but don't you dare apologize for what happened.  Jared needs to grow up and act like a man.  We weren't doing him any favors by allowing him to get away with what he did; it's time for him to take responsibility for himself.  And if it took this for Craig to finally realize everything you do for us around here - and to open his eyes - then it turned out to be a good thing." 

 

Justin nodded, still not quite convinced.  "I never wanted Jared to leave," he lamented softly.  "I just wanted him to stop feeling like we were constantly in a competition."  He inhaled a shaky breath and let it out before he told her, "I just wanted things to go back to the way they were, when Jared and I were _real_ brothers.  I'm not sure that will ever be possible again now."

 

Jennifer's heart broke at the forlorn look on her son's face; she couldn't help pulling Justin into her arms as he nestled his head in the crook of her neck and slid his arms around her slender waist.  "I know, Justin.  Only time will tell.  For now, I think this is for the best - for all of us."

 

They pulled back as Justin nodded at her. "Want me to go get Dad?" he asked.

 

She shook her head.  "No, you go wash up; he should be in soon.  I saw him a few minutes ago and waved at him to let him know supper was ready."

 

Justin nodded once more as he turned and headed down the hallway to the downstairs half bathroom.  Shaking her head sadly, Jennifer finished setting the rest of the supper dishes down onto the table just as Craig opened the backdoor and walked in.

 

"Hey, Jen," Craig replied softly as he walked up and kissed her on the cheek.  The two of them had spent about an hour last night discussing what had happened and had finally managed to clear the air about a lot of issues.  Their marriage still wasn't the one they had first had as newlyweds, but last night's discussion had gone a long way toward hopefully repairing some of the holes that needed to be patched.

 

"Hi, Honey," she said with a tired smile.  "Justin's washing up for supper; why don't you do the same?"  He nodded, but paused for a moment before he told her, "I don't know what to do with Jared's car out there."

 

She nodded.  "I figured that was probably what you had been working on most of the day.  Do we really have to make a decision about it now, though?"

 

"No," Craig admitted.  "But I don't feel right just letting it sit there."  He sighed as he pushed his hand through his hair.  "I wish in a way he had stayed until the end of the month, so we could all try to work out some sort of solution.  But in another way, I'm kind of relieved that he didn't.  Does that make sense?"

 

She nodded.  "Yeah, perfect sense."

 

"I worry what he will live on now."

 

"I know," she agreed as she placed her hands on the back of one of the kitchen chairs and stared down at the empty place where Jared normally sat.  "But we had to do it, Craig."

 

"Yeah, I know," he acknowledged sadly, his anger having dissipated since last night to be replaced by regret.  "But I just wish there had been another way."  He was about to go, when out of the corner of his eye he saw his youngest son returning from down the hall; he noticed Justin seemed to hesitate as their eyes met, and he felt a sense of remorse over having put that expression on his face.  Last night had opened his eyes to a lot of things, one of which was how much he needed to make sure this boy knew that he did love him and appreciate him.  It was hard for him to express those feelings aloud - it always had been - and it had seemed somewhat unnatural to verbalize it to him last night, but seeing his youngest son so broken and so convinced that he didn't love him had made him realize how badly he had been treating him and how much he needed to make it up to him.

 

He forced himself to relax his expression and smile at his son as he told him softly, "Come and sit down, Son; your mom has supper waiting."  Justin nodded as he walked toward his father, who reached over to squeeze his shoulder as he passed him on the way to wash up.  It was a brief gesture that might have gone unnoticed any other time, but to Justin it spoke volumes.

 

* * *

 

The dinner was spent pleasantly enough; all three kept their conversation to 'safe subjects:' the warmer-than-normal weather recently, the local drive to have a new park installed on the edge of town, the latest Cincinnati Reds ball scores; it was a common pasttime to listen to the game on their radios at night while they sat on the back porch, and at least gave Justin and his father something to discuss rather than the situation with Jared.  Finally, it was inevitable that their talk would focus on the big race tomorrow at Red Mill.  In response to his father's inquiry, Justin assured him that Headstrong was prepared for the event and had had a strong workout earlier.  And while no one could certainly guarantee what would happen at any race - their being too many variables that were out of their control - Justin was confident that both he and Headstrong were as ready as they would ever be. 

 

Jennifer glanced over at her son's partially-consumed dinner and frowned a little in concern; it wasn't like her son to not have a good appetite.  Perhaps the events of last night were still bothering him, even though Jared was no longer there and Craig had seemed to go out of his way to pay special attention to him this evening.  "Justin, you didn't eat much," she observed.  "Is anything wrong?"  Even before a race, Justin typically had no problems finishing off his meal, especially when it involved some of his favorites that she had went out of her way to cook tonight, including fried corn, apple fritters, and pork chops with gravy. 

 

"I'm fine, Mom," he assured her, not willing to discuss the real reason why he couldn't eat; he was just too wound up at the thought of seeing Brian again to have much of an appetite.  "I guess I'm just feeling a little stressed out."  He paused for a moment, watching his father drink the last of his iced tea, before he told them, "Uh, I think I'll head down to the swimming hole and take a swim; maybe that might relax me."

 

She smiled over at him, knowing how hard these past few days had been for him.  "Sounds like a good idea, Sweetheart; just don't stay out too late."

 

Justin rolled his eyes.  "Mom..."  Would she think of him as a child forever?

 

"Your mother's right, Justin," Craig agreed; he strove to keep his voice level as he reminded him, "You have a big day tomorrow before the race.  You know how you are when you don't get enough sleep beforehand."

 

Justin sighed but nodded in understanding as he rose from his seat at the kitchen table and carried his dishes over to place them in the sink.  "I won't," he told him as his pulse began to quicken in anticipation over the thought of soon seeing Brian again.  Wiping his hands off on a nearby kitchen towel, he hurried down the hallway to head upstairs and grab his swimming trunks; in record time, he was out the door and headed toward the winding path that led to the swimming hole. 

 

As they watched their son go from their place at the table, Craig asked his wife softly, "You know he's probably not going to be down there alone." 

 

"I know," Jennifer told him, somehow sensing the same thing.

 

"I still have a bad feeling about that other boy; he's much too grown up for Justin.  You don't know how much I had to bite my tongue just then not to ask him whether or not he was meeting up with that boy and to tell him he couldn't.  I still think he's a bad influence on him."

 

"Craig, I'm concerned at well," she confessed, "but we have to trust him; Justin's very mature for his age." 

 

He looked at his wife with one raised eyebrow.  "He's still just a boy, Jen, and not a very experienced one, if you catch my drift.  Whether or not he was to blame for what happened last night, I still say Kinney is only after one thing, and I hate to see Justin get hurt."  He didn't stop to consider how ironic it was that up until now, next to Jared _he_ had been hurting his son most of all.  But he was resolved to change that now; he just hadn't realized how hard that might be.

 

"Yes, I know," she told him quietly as Justin disappeared out of sight.  "But he knows what he has to do to protect himself.  We BOTH have to trust him.  He has to make his own mistakes - and his own way in life.  There's bound to be some hurt with the joy along the way." 

 

Craig eyed her with surprise.  "So you're not worried about this other boy's motives?  You heard what was said last night.  That boy is going to pursue Justin until he gives in, whether he forces him to or not; you know that's bound to happen.  Doesn't that bother you at all?"

 

Jennifer sighed.  "I'd be lying if I said it didn't," she admitted to him.  "But we can't protect him forever.  And I may be wrong, but I really feel that Brian genuinely cares about him."

 

Craig snorted softly in doubt as he rose to take his dishes over to the sink.  "I'm not convinced of that."  He let out an anxious breath.  "But I hope you're right, Jen; I hope you're right." 

 

* * *

 

Justin clutched his swimming trunks tightly in his hand, almost crushing the piece of clothing as he neared the swimming hole; the closer he got to his destination, the more nervous he was becoming.  Part of him was telling him he was out of his mind, and that he would get his heart broken (as if it hadn't been bruised already).  The other, tenderer side of his heart wanted to believe Brian felt differently about him than all the other boys he had been with. 

 

Just before he came into the clearing, he took a deep breath to steel his resolution.  He would NOT be a pushover here, he told himself firmly; yes, Brian was sexy as hell, knew just what to do to get his body all fired up, and could do things that were downright sweet at times. He was a good listener and seemed to know exactly how he was feeling.  But he could also be extremely exasperating, tempestuous, and unnerving - a very dangerous combination in his mind.

 

Taking one more breath and letting it out, he tentatively walked out into the clearing near the pond, glancing around for Brian.  His face fell slightly as he saw no one around.  Had he arrived too early for their rendezvous?  Or was Brian not even coming at all?  Had he changed his mind? 

 

Just then, his heart lurched as he heard a soft, silky-sounding voice nearby.  "Hello, Justin."  He turned slightly to observe Brian emerging from behind the same, hollowed-out tree that he had hid his clothes in before, his replica of Checkers clutched in his arms.  The irony wasn't lost on him as he received a tongue-in-cheek smile from the other boy.  For once in his life, Brian seemed unsure of himself as he stood hesitantly a few feet away, staring at Justin so intensely that he almost made him feel like he was just as exposed as before, even though he was fully clothed now.

 

Justin couldn't help smiling briefly despite his promise to himself as Brian picked up one of the stuffed animal's hooves and waved it at him in greeting.

 

"I would moo, but I'm still learning cow language," he told him with a smile, relieved to have some of the tension broken.  It was good to see Justin laugh, even if it was temporary. His smile faltered a little as Justin nodded back at him; all of a sudden, he felt uncomfortable as hell.  Any other time, he would be totally at ease with him.

 

"I wasn't sure you would come," he admitted to him as he stood there, his muscular arms wrapped tightly around the animal.  It was almost as if he were using the stuffed cow as armor; perhaps in a way he was.  He couldn't help staring at Justin; even when he wasn't trying to be irresistible, he was.  At the moment, his hair was windblown, and he was wearing a pair of dark, denim jeans, his familiar pair of well-loved sneakers, and a short-sleeved, black tee shirt that read, _There's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man._   Brian thought he looked amazing as usual as he gazed into Justin's eyes and was finally rewarded with a pink tint blooming on his cheeks. 

 

"I wasn't sure I would, either," Justin murmured truthfully.  He peered over at him silently for a moment before he spoke again.  "You were over at the house last night." 

 

Brian flashed him a smile.  "I worked hard for that horse.  Almost as hard as YOU work out with Headstrong." 

 

Justin snorted.  "I hardly think so.  But I admit you do have good pitching skills."   He let out a deep breath, suddenly weary of this game.  "Brian, why did you ask me here?" 

 

Brian's smile faded as he stared into Justin's face; he could tell he was still somewhat hurt over what had happened last night.  It was his job to set things right now.   He slowly dropped the cow to the ground as he approached him.  "You already know the answer to that question."

 

Justin's pulse quickened as Brian walked closer; just being around Brian made it hard to breathe at times.  He was wearing a pair of dark-blue, tailored jeans that accentuated his long legs, black boots, and a white, sleeveless tee-shirt worn under a brown and white checked shirt that was hanging open with the shirttails out.  Justin thought he was magnificent.  "Maybe," he conceded as he peered over at him, Brian's eyes boring into his.  "But I still need to hear you say it." 

 

Brian nodded, feeling unexpectedly anxious.  Why was it so important that Justin believe him?  Deep down he knew the reason, but this was all such unfamiliar territory; hell, he had felt like a fish out of water ever since he had gotten here.  But Justin made him feel less isolated, less like a pariah in this unfamiliar land. He made him feel like he was special. Justin made his heart feel emotions he hadn't even been sure he was capable of feeling.  For just a moment, he realized how the Tin Man must have felt in the Wizard of Oz.  _Who would have imagined - Brian Kinney has a heart..._

 

He swallowed hard; it was now or never.  "Why don't you go sit over there on that log?" Brian suggested, nodding his head over at a large, downed oak tree lying on its side; the tree had been positioned there for so long that the bark had long worn off, providing a smooth surface just perfect for sitting on. 

 

"Where are you going?" Justin asked in alarm as he watched as Brian turned and began to walk away.  "Brian?  I thought you wanted to talk to me."  _Now he was just going to leave?_  

 

Brian turned around and placed his hands on his hips with barely-disguised impatience.  "You can be the most stubborn person, Justin Taylor.  Will you _please_ just do as I asked?  I'm not going anywhere." 

 

Justin eyed him cautiously, wondering just what he was up to, before he finally turned and trudged over to the downed oak tree and plopped down in frustration to sit on it with a grunt.  He watched as Brian walked over to the hollowed-out tree that he had previously hidden his clothing in and pull out what appeared to be a folded up horse blanket of tartan grey and red. 

 

Justin rolled his eyes.  _How subtle_... "Brian, what the hell?  I am not going to lie down on that blanket with you," he told him flatly.  Did he think they could just go from their argument last night to having sex?  Did he think he was that easily manipulated?  One look at him and he couldn't wait to peel all his clothes off and let Brian do whatever he wanted with him?  Well, he had news for him.  He may be attracted to him, but he wasn't about to do just take everything lying down - literally.  This boy had some serious explaining to do. 

 

Brian sighed as he walked closer.  "Just open it," he softly urged as he placed the folded blanket in Justin's hands.  Justin frowned as he got a better look at it; it was definitely a horse blanket, but in addition to being folded, it was secured with a plain, black ribbon.  He could also feel something hard and flat tucked in between the folds of the material.  "What _is_ this?" he asked curiously. 

 

Brian quietly sat down beside him.  "Open it," he entreated softly as he watched Justin place the item on his lap and pull the ribbon to loosen it.  He held his breath anxiously as Justin unfolded one flap and then the other to display the contents inside:  a fine quality, red leather art sketchbook emblazoned with a stallion on the front cover.  Two large brass latches held the book firmly closed together.  It was absolutely incredible.

 

Justin sat there speechless as Brian began to fret that he had made a mistake; his words tumbled out in a nervous sort of jumble now.  "I hope you like it; I don't know anything about art books, but I thought it was perfect for you.  I got you some art supplies, too," he told him.  "They're back at the farmhouse in my bedroom.  The lady at the art supply store in town helped me pick out what to buy for you, but I chose the sketchbook myself.  I saw it in the window and thought it was meant for you." 

 

Justin lovingly brushed his fingers over the embossed photo of the proud-looking horse displayed on the cover as Brian frowned with concern over his silence.  "The saleslady told me it was one of the best books they carry," he explained.  "But if you'd like to exchange it for something else, I kept the receipt..."

 

Justin shook his head, swallowing the lump in his throat.  "No," he managed to croak out in a choked voice as he gazed down at what was his dream sketchbook; he had gazed on that exact, same book so many times at the art supply store before that he had lost count.  The rounded edges and sewn binding spoke of its high quality and craftsmanship, and he knew inside it held some handmade watercolor paper that was thick enough for whatever medium he decided to use for his drawing.  There would be no way he could have ever afforded something this extravagant for himself; practically all his winnings went back into the family budget, leaving him with precious little extra spending money except for a modest allowance.  This - and any other art supplies - would never have been possible for him. 

 

"Justin?"

 

He turned his head to peer over into Brian's eyes locked on his.  "It's...it's exquisite," he whispered, his eyes glistening. It was even more beautiful out of the display window.  "How did you know?" 

 

Brian shook his head, relieved that Justin apparently approved of his selection, but he was still a little confused.  "Know _what_?" he pressed softly.  "How much you would like it?"

 

"No, not that, not exactly," Justin responded as he looked back down at the treasured gift.  "This is the same sketchbook that I would look at every time I passed the art store window."  He ran his fingers over the smooth leather as he lifted his gaze to peer back over at Brian.  "But there was no way I could ever buy it for myself."  He placed the package down carefully on the log next to him as he told Brian, "It's as if you read my mind.  How do you do that?" 

 

Brian smiled slightly.  "Do what?"

 

"Know what I need, what I want." 

 

Brian stared into the beautiful face.  "I know what _I_ want, too," he whispered huskily as he reached to grasp Justin's hand; the skin was soft but slightly calloused on the underside, no doubt evidence of Justin constantly holding onto Headstrong's reins as he practiced.  It was the hand of someone who worked hard at what he did.  "Justin, I'm sorry about what I said last night.  I never meant for it to come out the way it did."  He lowered his gaze to avoid the luminous, blue eyes boring into his as he admitted, "It's just that I'm so damn attracted to you that it's hard to not want to be with you in every sense of the word."  He lifted his head to chance gazing into Justin's face, hoping he wouldn't see rejection there.  Brian reached over with his other hand and placed it under his chin.  "But it's more than that.  I do care about you; probably a lot more than you know."  He leaned his face in closer as he whispered, "I...Justin, fuck, I want to kiss you so much..."  His eyes traveled slightly downward to admire the full lips just begging to be ravaged, and his entire body tingled at the thought of that - and more... He lifted his eyes back up to see Justin flush in reaction to his actions.

 

His face warming at the sultry tone of Brian's voice, any doubts Justin had about how Brian felt about him quickly began to ebb away.  "Brian..." he whispered as Brian's eyes challenged him to deny what both of them were feeling. 

 

Brian's hand slid around Justin's neck to pull him in even closer; he gazed into his eyes, making sure this was what Justin wanted, too, before he finally pressed their lips firmly together.  Their arms slid around each other's backs of one accord as Brian tilted his head to clamp his mouth even tighter over Justin's to deepen the kiss more, his tongue sliding out to demand a response.  He thought he heard a whisper of a sigh before Justin's lips parted slightly in acquiescence and his tongue crept inside to steal a taste. 

 

Time seemed to stand still as they continued to kiss, the only sounds being heard the light rustling of the trees above from the warm, soft breeze blowing, an occasional screech from a hawk or a 'pip' from a nearby squirrel.  Neither boy paid the distinctly bucolic sounds any mind, however; they were much too caught up in their passion. 

 

Justin's hands slid inside Brian's open shirt and roamed up his chest to brush against the older boy's nipples through the thin, cotton fabric; he heard a sharp intake of breath in reaction, which emboldened him to do some further exploring.   His hands crept further upward as he pushed Brian's open shirt from his shoulders; Brian released his hold on Justin long enough to allow the fabric to fall downward to the ground before he reached over to slide his hands under Justin's shirt.  He _had_ to feel that smooth, warm, pale skin under his fingertips. 

 

A few seconds later, Brian's hands gliding up the bare skin of his chest caused Justin to pull back, startled.  When had Brian managed to snake his hands inside his shirt?  He had been so caught up in their kiss and his _own_ adoration of Brian's toned skin to even notice.  They stared into each other's faces now, both reflecting the desire burning inside of them as Justin anxiously licked his lips, his heart thumping so hard.  He knew he was playing with fire here; just one more minute and he understood he would be reaching the point of no return.  How he had continually longed for this day in his dreams at night!  But now that it seemed to be happening, he was scared out of his mind.  Would he disappoint Brian?  After all, anyone that looked like him had to have had all kinds of experience.  Was he even ready for this?  

 

Brian stilled his hands on Justin's skin.  "What?" he asked softly; Justin's own hands were still lying, palms down, on his chest; Brian could feel Justin's body heat permeating through his thin tee shirt like a slow, smoldering fire. 

 

"Brian...I've, I've never done this before..."

 

Brian reached his right hand up to cup Justin's cheek.  "I figured as much," he told him gently, no hint of ridicule in his voice as he brushed some errant hair back from Justin's forehead.  "Is this what you want?"  _Am I who you want?_   He thought he knew the answer; God, he wanted Justin so badly right now.  But it had to be Justin's decision. 

 

Desire rushed through Justin in response to Brian's touch and the concern in his voice; he was nervous as hell.  Would he be able to satisfy Brian as a lover?  What exactly did he know about that?  But as he closed his eyes to heighten the feeling of Brian's gentle touch on his face, he knew there could only be one answer.  His eyes slowly fluttered open to observe Brian gazing at him expectantly. 

 

He bit his lip.  "Brian..." he whispered out his companion's name as Brian slowly stroked his cheek and held his breath.  "Yes. I want you..."

 

Brian nodded in relief; if Justin had rejected him, he wasn't sure what he would have done.  He curled his hand around Justin's neck to urge him into another kiss before, finally, he pulled back to rise from the log to stand next to the other boy. 

 

Justin stared into his eyes, his breath coming out in small pants of anticipation as he watched Brian reach down and carefully remove the sketchbook from its fleece covering and, placing it back down onto the log, look around for a good spot in which to place the blanket onto the ground.  He spied a small area nearby obscured by some cedar trees that surrounded it, providing just the perfect amount of privacy and seclusion for their first time.  Walking over to the area, he unfurled the blanket as it slowly settled down onto the grass-covered ground and then he returned to stand next to Justin, silently extending his hand downward in invitation. 

 

Brian bestowed a gentle smile of reassurance on him before Justin placed his hand in his and Brian pulled him up to stand next to him.  Never taking his eyes off him, he walked backward with Justin toward the blanket several feet away, stopping only when he reached the small grove of trees. 

 

Brian gazed, dark-eyed, into Justin's face for a moment before he dropped his hand to allow Justin to pull his shirt off; a few moments later, the shirt fell to the ground as Brian reached for the hem of his own tee-shirt and quickly pulled it up over his head to join the other one; he noticed Justin's eyes evolve into a darker shade of blue as he walked a little closer to him.  His fingers longed to yank the rest of Justin's clothing off so he could revisit the beauty he had first seen that day not so long ago when he had found Justin skinny dipping in the water, but he knew he needed to take things slowly with him. 

 

So instead he opted to slide his arm around Justin's bare waist and pull him closer to steal one more kiss; a kiss that Justin all too willingly allowed as his own hands slid up Brian's now naked chest to settle on his collarbone.  

 

Flushed with desire, Justin stared into Brian's eyes as they pulled apart several seconds later; he reached one hand tentatively up to lightly brush his fingers across Brian's lips as Brian's eyes dilated almost to a shade of dark chocolate.

 

"Lie down," Brian quietly urged him, thinking that perhaps that might be less intimidating to Justin the first time.  Justin's tongue flicked out to wet his dry lips, a motion that did not go unnoticed by Brian, as he finally nodded and moved to do as Brian requested.  He gazed up at Brian through hooded eyes a few seconds later from the blanket as Brian kneeled down by his waist and, his eyes locked on Justin's, reached over to unsnap the lone button of his jeans and slowly pull the zipper down.

 

Brian could see the prominent bulge through the fabric, indicating that Justin was just as aroused as he was; a pair of white briefs was evident underneath.  His breath hitched in his throat as the significance of this moment hit him; how he had fantasized about this, ever since he had first laid eyes on Justin floating so sexily on the water!

 

His gaze lifted to meet Justin's and he noticed his blue eyes following his every move; he could hear soft pants escaping his lips. 

 

Forcing himself to still his movements, he whispered, "There's nothing to be afraid of, Justin."  He longed to tell him that he would never hurt him - and he wouldn't, not intentionally anyway - but he knew that would be a lie if he did.  He knew the first time could hurt like a motherfucker, and he was done being less than candid with him. 

 

As if he read his mind, Justin asked a little anxiously, "Will it hurt?" 

 

Brian reached down to lightly stroke the side of his face in reassurance with the back of his hand.  "I'm not going to lie to you.  Yes, it will; at first.  But once you work through the pain, trust me; it will be more than worth it."  Justin swallowed hard but nodded against his hand as Brian gazed down at him; _shit, this boy continued to take his breath away_.  Just the thought of seeing him totally naked under his scrutiny was making him hard as hell.  If Justin backed out now...well, he didn't even want to consider the possibility.  But as a testament to how much he was beginning to care deeply for him, he knew he needed to give him one more chance.

 

"You sure about this, Justin?  You can still say no."  _Although it would fucking kill me..._

Justin's heart was beating faster than a hummingbird's wings as he gazed up at the sexy boy kneeling beside him; he had seen Brian shirtless before, but he still couldn't help admiring the firm skin of his chest and his lightly-muscled arms.  And his hands - just the touch of his fingers on his skin made his body tingle at the thought of what they might soon be doing to him elsewhere.  He was both scared but also exhilarated at the thought of Brian inside his most private place; a place no one had ever been before.  At the mere thought of it, his cock grew even harder and begged for the release that only Brian could provide for him.  This was not going to be some jack off in the shower, or a wet dream fantasy that God knows he had experienced numerous times before; no, this was going to be the real thing. 

 

"Brian, yes, God, yes, I want it.  I want to know what it's like - with _you_." 

 

Brian smiled a little, mainly in relief but also to reassure him as he demanded softly, "Raise your hips up."  Justin lifted his pelvis just enough for Brian to curl his hands around the waistband of his jeans and briefs to slowly slide them down the slender legs; Justin's cock sprung immediately to attention, thick and proud under Brian's inspection.  It was even more glorious than Brian had remembered, and he couldn't wait to taste it.  He licked his lips almost subconsciously as Justin's face turned red.

 

"Don't be embarrassed, Justin," Brian immediately told him as his eyes locked onto his lover's.  "You're fucking incredible," he explained sincerely, which just made Justin's face flush even more.  "I think I know just how to take the edge off, and then we can _really_ get down to business," he advised him huskily as he reached to curl his right hand around the silky, hot shaft, flicking his thumb over the slit that was already leaking pre-come.  He used it to lubricate Justin's cock as he slowly began to slide his hand up and down, watching Justin's eyes widen in stunned arousal. 

 

Justin gasped at the amazing sensation of Brian's hand sensually stroking him to perfection.  It was so much more intense than anything he had ever done to himself, and it was almost indescribable:  like a supernova on steroids.  Something told him that even if he had all the experience in the world with other guys, nothing would compare to being with Brian. 

 

"Feel good?" Brian asked him, his voice sultry as he stared down into the luminescent, expressive, blue eyes.  He really didn't have to ask Justin that out loud, however; all he had to do was look at his face to know he was in nirvana at the moment.

 

All Justin could do was bite his lip and nod his head slightly as he curled his toes under in reaction; he could feel the pleasure radiating from every nerve in his body.  Brian smirked knowingly as he began to slowly increase the pressure and speed of his movements, hearing small murmurs and whimpers  of appreciation escaping the perfect, pink lips of his companion.  He knew it would only take a few more seconds before Justin reached the point of no return, and then they could proceed onto the rest of their 'festivities.'  He couldn't want to find out if the feisty spitfire who constantly sparred with him verbally was just as passionate in the throes of sex.

 

"Brian..." Justin struggled to get his name out as his breathing quickened and he felt his pending climax; he dug his fingernails into the blanket as it bunched under his touch, his body subconsciously arching up slightly as Brian continued to pump his hand up and down his cock until, finally, he cried out in uncontrollable pleasure and arched slightly off the blanket, shooting his come over Brian's hand, chest, and neck.  Brian pumped his shaft a few more times before he finally released him, bringing his hand up to get his first taste of Justin's warm essence and finding it akin to an intoxicating combination of some sweet and salty ambrosia. 

 

Sucking the come off his fingers one by one, Justin's face turned red over Brian's unabashed action; he had never seen someone so comfortable with his sexuality before - not even Jared - and it was like a whole new world was opening up for him.  He lay there, feeling boneless and limp, wondering if Brian had made him feel this good merely by giving him a hand job, how was he going to feel when he fucked him?  Maybe he would merely suffer a heart attack from the mind-blowing sensations and simply die of uncontrollable ecstasy instead.  Either prospect at the moment seemed pretty damn good to him as his eyes traveled down Brian's face to his chest. 

 

"Brian..." he whispered, his voice choked with need.

 

Brian peered down at him, his eyes raking over the pale, smooth skin, now slightly tinged with desire.  God, this boy was amazing.  He couldn't wait to memorize every inch of him.  "Yes?"

 

"Your pants; I want them off," was the shy but firm command as Justin met his gaze evenly. 

 

Brian smiled, impressed with Justin's forthrightness despite his lack of experience.  "I thought you'd never ask," he told him. Taking a moment to use a corner of the blanket to clean himself off, he rose to his feet.  He noticed Justin's eyes following his every movement as he unsnapped his jeans and dug into his pants pocket to retrieve a couple of condoms and a small tube of lube to toss them down onto the blanket before pulling the pants and a pair of tight, black briefs down his legs to settle at his ankles.  Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he noticed Justin lick his lips as he pulled off his boots and socks and tugged the rest of his clothing off to lie in a discarded heap near the blanket.

 

Now there were no more barriers between them as Brian stood there, his cock jutting out heavy and hard, a blatant sign of his desire for this boy who had mesmerized and intrigued him from the moment he had first seen him by the fence that day.  He watched as Justin held out his hands toward him in silent invitation before he walked over to kneel back down on the blanket beside him and take him in his arms.  He slid his hands around the slender back, his fingertips stroking the smooth flesh under his touch as he held onto him tightly.  He could feel Justin's heart racing against his chest as he rested his head briefly in the crook of his neck.  Pulling back slightly to look him in the face, he whispered, "Fuck, I want you, Justin.  Last chance; I can't hold back any longer.  Tell me now; tell me this is what you want, too."  Never before would he have cared about any other boy's needs; it would be take and take and take some more until he got his thirst quenched.  But with Justin, it was different; it was special.  It was so much more. 

 

"You know I do," Justin sputtered out breathlessly as he reached down between them and boldly squeezed Brian's cock for emphasis, evoking a groan from his companion. His body thrummed at the incredible sensation of holding Brian in his hand, the skin so hot and hard to his touch. He sucked in a breath over the realization that he was the cause of it. "I want this - I want _you -_ inside me.  I want you to teach me."  Remembering what Brian had done for him earlier, he boldly slid his hand up and down the silky flesh, causing Brian to let out a ragged breath of repressed desire and quickly capture the roaming hand in his own.

 

"Shit, Justin!" he growled at him as he grasped the hand firmly in his. "Keep that up and I'll be over the edge before we start." 

 

Justin turned bright red but nodded as Brian let go of his hand to rise back up on his knees and reach down to lightly trail his fingers along Justin's arm, watching him shiver under his touch before he whispered quietly, "Spread your legs, Justin."  He gazed at the expanse of wiry, golden pubes framing the large, thick cock that he had just had the pleasure of indulging in, and he was momentarily tempted to steal another taste of it with his tongue this time, but he had more urgent needs to attend to first.

 

"Well, then...," Brian whispered as he stared into Justin's trusting eyes.  "Get ready to learn."


	18. Love...And Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian and Justin become lovers in every sense of the word. Dale's death is finally explained.

 

_Last Chapter..._

 

Tell me now; tell me this is what you want, too."  Never before would Brian have cared about any other boy's needs; it would be take and take and take some more until he got his thirst quenched.  But with Justin, it was different; it was special.  It was so much more.

 

"You know I do," Justin sputtered out breathlessly as he reached down between them and boldly squeezed Brian's cock for emphasis, evoking a groan from his companion. His body thrummed at the incredible sensation of cupping Brian in his hand, the skin so hot and hard to his touch. He sucked in a breath over the realization that he was the cause of it. "I want this - I want _you -_ inside me.  I want you to teach me."  Remembering what Brian had done for him earlier, he boldly slid his hand up and down the silky flesh, causing Brian to let out a ragged breath of repressed desire and quickly capture the roaming hand in his own.

 

"Shit, Justin!" he growled at him as he grasped the hand firmly in his. "Keep that up and I'll be over the edge before we start."

 

Justin turned bright red but nodded as Brian let go of his hand to rise back up on his knees and reach down to lightly trail his fingers along Justin's arm, watching him shiver under his touch before he whispered quietly, "Spread your legs, Justin."  He gazed at the expanse of wiry, golden pubes framing the large, thick cock that he had just had the pleasure of indulging in, and he was momentarily tempted to steal another taste of it with his tongue this time, but he had more urgent needs to attend to first.

 

"Well, then...," Brian whispered as he stared into Justin's trusting eyes.  "Get ready to learn."

 

* * *

 

Justin swallowed hard at the lust-filled look in Brian's eyes, but did as he asked as he let his bended legs fall to either side of his body, wide enough for Brian to nestle himself in the V of his legs.  The hard, muscled skin of Brian's chest rubbed against Justin's cock as he slowly slid up the warm body, providing some delicious friction that made Justin gasp in reaction as Brian pulled himself up so they were face to face.

 

Brian braced himself on his elbows as he gazed into Justin's eyes.  "You all right?" he asked softly, feeling Justin's heart racing beneath him.  It matched the tempo of his own as Justin nodded.

 

He gazed at him tenderly before he leaned down to kiss the full lips briefly, biting the lower lobe for a moment before nuzzling the side of Justin's neck with his cheek as he whispered in his ear, "Are you ready now to feel me inside you, Justin?"

 

Justin whimpered softly at the thought as he felt Brian's cock, heavy and hard, lying between them.  After seeing Brian's impressive girth and length, he had a good idea now why Brian said his first time would hurt; he couldn't imagine having something that large inside him.  But he trusted Brian, and knew he wouldn't want his first time to be with anyone but him.  "Yes," he murmured back as Brian rained butterfly kisses on his eyelids, cheek, nose, and jaw.  "Please..."

 

Brian pulled back to stare into his eyes before he nodded, that final, plea-filled word causing his adrenaline to race.  Rising up onto his haunches, he reached over to grab one of the condom wrappers and tear it open.  He felt the heat of Justin's stare on him, and was surprised to feel his hands shaking slightly as he slid the latex over his dick.  Taking the small tube of lube, he squirted a generous amount into the palm of his hand, discarding the container to rub his palms together to try and heat it up a little.  He knew Justin was undoubtedly anxious enough without being startled by the coldness of the lotion.

 

To confirm his suspicions, he noticed Justin nervously following his every move with his eyes as he slathered his dick with the lotion. "Bend your legs against your chest," Brian gently instructed him; he saw Justin nod and his Adam's apple bob when he swallowed hard, but he did as he was told, linking his hands around his lower legs to keep them pressed against his body.

 

Justin felt somewhat absurd and so exposed in this position - almost like a human pretzel - but the fiery look in Brian's eyes made his cock harden even further and his body tremble both with anticipation and desire.

 

Brian's eyes locked on the pink, tightly-puckered hole that was open to his inspection, and his mouth watered at the sight.  He wanted to rim that hole so badly and tongue fuck the shit out of it, but he knew that could be too much sensual overload for Justin's first time.  Forcing himself to be patient, then, he murmured, "I'm going to open you up first, okay?"

 

Justin bit his lower lip and nodded, holding his breath as Brian reached over with one coated index finger to push slightly through the insanely-tight opening, marveling at how the skin instantly suctioned itself around him in protest.  Shit, he had never felt anything so tight in his life!  He couldn't wait to find out how that felt around his cock!  Taking in a deep breath to steady himself, he probed a little deeper, hearing Justin hiss in discomfort as he reached down to lightly stroke his belly in reassurance.

 

"You're doing fine, Justin," he told him softly as he stilled his movement inside him.  "I have to do this, or it's going to hurt like hell."

 

Justin winced as Brian crooked his finger and waggled it a little to try and loosen him up more.  He would be lying if he still wasn't worried about what it would feel like when Brian actually fucked him with his cock; just the one finger inside him was extremely painful.  But he was determined to ride out the agony; he remembered what Brian had said, and he knew this was part of every gay boy's initiation.  And he couldn't think of a better first-time lover than Brian.  "Go on," he croaked out as Brian stopped his movements.

 

Brian nodded, impressed with the other boy's determination; Justin gasped then as he felt another finger pressing inside his opening.  He bit his lip hard to keep from crying out, but he couldn't help the grimace on his face from the pain as Brian pressed the middle finger in deeper to join up with the other one.

 

Brian's face was etched with concern as he stilled his fingers, slowly caressing Justin's belly soothingly again with his other hand.  Until now all the other boys hadn't meant anything to him at all, except as a mechanism for a quick sexual release and a brief flash of pleasure.  He had had his share of virgins before - it was particularly pleasurable to feel his cock inside such a tight ass as they always possessed - but somehow as he gazed down into the resolute face of this particular boy, he realized this was going to be a lot different than that.

 

"Brian, keep going," Justin hissed out just then to get his attention, pressing his lips firmly together to staunch the feelings of uncomfortable fullness as he stared up at the amazingly gorgeous man who was trying so hard not to hurt him. The fact that someone like Brian - was who well-experienced in providing and receiving pleasure - was putting his needs in front of his own merely cemented his conviction that this was the right time and the right person for his first encounter.  He always knew it would have to be with someone special, and with someone who wasn't just a casual fling.  He knew he would have never been satisfied with just a quick fuck.  Today he finally realized that this was the time - and this was the boy he wanted to experience it with.  "Come on," he added softly, trying hard to convince Brian he really meant it.  "I can handle it.  I want you inside me.  I _need_ you inside me."  That was the truth, too; the desire to be one with Brian was an aching, physical need

 

Brian nodded, his heart swelling with pride over this boy's strength, before he leaned down to steal a quick kiss from Justin's soft lips, trying to reassure him through his actions how much he cared for him.  "Yeah, I know you can," he murmured encouragingly.  Fuck, it was so hard to go slowly with Justin, though!  Every ounce of his body wanted to taste and touch each inch of that creamy, smooth skin until he was completely sated and could find it by memory.  But there would be time for that later.  Right now, this was for _him_.

 

He locked eyes on the beautiful blond beneath him - the blue orbs peering up at him with so much trust and desire that it made his heart ache - before he slowly removed his fingers and, gripping his slick cock, he hovered over the wrinkled opening.  "Breathe, Justin, try to relax," he coached him softly just before he gripped Justin's upper arms to brace himself and pushed in ever so slightly.

 

A cry of pain erupted from Justin as he tried to do as Brian asked; the feeling was almost too much to bear, so much girth being encased inside him, even though Brian had tried to prepare him ahead of time and he was just barely inside him now.  He wondered again how he could possibly accommodate Brian's size. But he was determined to do it, come hell or high water, so he nodded up at his lover in silent entreaty for him to continue.

 

Sweat beaded out on Brian's forehead as he purposefully held back from what he so desperately wanted to do; instead, he whispered out in a steady stream of encouragement, "Breathe.  Work with me, Justin, you can do it; that's it.  Look at me."  Justin's eyes transformed from a light blue to a dark, unfathomable shade of inkiness as he stared unblinking into Brian's eyes, using them as a beacon and an anchor.

 

"I'm going to take you on the most amazing ride," he promised as Justin nodded, his face a picture of concentration as Brian pushed in a little further and, again, stopped to allow Justin to work through the discomfort and tolerate the intrusion. "Yessss," Brian breathed out encouragingly, his voice low and soothing as he felt Justin's walls clamped against his dick.  "Shit, you feel so damn good."  He pushed in a little more, finding it nearly impossible to keep from plunging all the way inside; the feeling was so fucking indescribable.  He didn't know if part of it was due to how he felt about Justin or just the sensation of being in such an incredibly constrictive space, but at that moment he couldn't think of anywhere else he wanted to be - or anyone else he wanted to be _with_.

 

"Justin..." Brian's brows furrowed as he noted the pain still evident on the other boy's face.  "The pain; it'll ease soon," he reassured him softly.  "Try to relax and let me in."

 

Justin's eyes glimmered with tears over the feeling of fullness; it was almost too much.  But he believed Brian; he knew he was sexually experienced, so he nodded again and concentrated on trying to relax his muscles.

 

Brian slowly pressed in a little more, then a little more after that until he heard a gasp erupt from the perfectly-formed lips below him.  Justin's face began to transform from extreme discomfort into something almost mystical, something disbelieving.  It was then that Brian knew he had found the bundle of nerves to make Justin's body thrum with ecstasy.  He watched as Justin's skin flushed and his eyes broke open in stunned surprise.  Brian smiled as he pulled back out slightly and then pushed back in firmly, striking the same spot again as Justin moaned.  The slickness of the lube provided just the right combination of friction and smoothness to allow Brian to start pistoning in and out in earnest now; Justin seemed to know instinctively what to do as he snapped his hips in perfect synchrony with Brian's movements, meeting him rhythm for rhythm as their bodies fused tightly together.

 

Brian found that he had been right about Justin; once the boy determined the right pace, he enthusiastically began to parry thrust for thrust with him, the sound of their bodies slapping together and their grunts of primal mating appearing abnormally loud under the quiet canopy of the cedar trees.  The birds had even gone still in the late-afternoon hour, leaving the soothing sound of the water that rushed gently over a small waterfall into the pond nearby a perfect contrast to their passion.

 

Brian was in heaven as he plunged in and out of Justin, stopping occasionally to grab another kiss from the other boy's lips; he had never thought anyone could feel so right, so hot, and so incredibly perfect at the same time as Justin did.  He had thought up until now that he had soared to the tallest heights of pleasure numerous times before; but now he realized all those other times had just been a pale imitation of this moment.

 

He could feel Justin's muscles tensing beneath him, signaling he was close to climax, as he reached down to begin masterfully stroking his lover's cock, savoring how full, hot, and alive it felt under his touch.  He heard Justin utter a loud moan then, and call out his name just before he let forth with a guttural cry and arched up off the blanket, shooting streams of sticky fluid between their bodies.  That was all it took for Brian to pick up his pace just a bit, ramming into Justin now a few more times before he, too, let out a vocal shout and his body was overcome with pleasure.  Filling the condom to almost overflowing, he tried fervently to brace himself, to keep his weight off his smaller lover, but it was no use.  He was so drained himself that he promptly collapsed on top of Justin, his legs cradled inside Justin's shorter ones as he placed his head in the crook of Justin's neck and just lay there, completely exhausted and devoid of energy.

 

His lungs starved for oxygen, he breathed rapidly in and out through his parched lips, trying to calm his erratically beating heart, as he felt Justin's hands roaming lazily over his slickened back, finally coming to rest at the cleft just above his buttocks.  He could feel Justin's heart beating in quick cadence with his own as he continued to lie there, fighting the need to come down from the incredible rush he had just experienced, until finally he found enough strength to raise his head just enough to peer into Justin's eyes.  Pushing some sweat-soaked hair back from Justin's forehead, his heart fluttered as Justin bestowed a dazed smile on him.

 

He couldn't help smiling back at him as he whispered, "You okay?"  He could feel their bodies stuck to each other, but he didn't care.  In the after throes of their sexual encounter, this boy was simply enchanting; even more than before.  Sex suited him.  _God, he was so incredible..._

Justin nodded lazily, a ghost of a smile still on his lips.  "I'm great," he finally managed to confirm as Brian laughed softly.

 

Justin frowned at him.  "What's so funny?"

 

Brian grinned at the insulted look on his face. "Nothing," he reassured him as he idly brushed his index finger around the shell of Justin's ear, feeling him shiver beneath him in response.  He had been right about Justin being so responsive to his touch.  "You just have this sort of goofy look on your face right now, that's all."

 

One side of Justin's lips quirked upward as he replied, "I do, huh?  I'm not sure I like the sound of that."  His hands slowly began to idly slide lower until they were resting on the swell of Brian's buttocks.

 

Brian's eyes widened and his heart began to pound as he felt one of Justin's fingers sliding in between his ass cheeks then.  Just a few more inches and he would be...

 

He abruptly twisted off Justin's body, rolling to lie on his back beside him, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable.

 

"What?" Justin asked, confused, wondering what had just happened.  He felt the loss of Brian's body draping his profoundly.  "Did I do something wrong?"

 

"No," Brian assured him quickly as he turned onto his side and propped his head up with his hand to gaze over at him.  "It's just that..."

 

"What?"  At that moment, Justin wasn't sure which one made him feel more naked:  his lack of clothes, or the penetrating stare that Brian was giving him.

 

Brian reached over to lightly stroke Justin's arm, the pungent smell of sex in the air.  Not surprising, considering how enthusiastically Justin had taken to their activity.  That was only the beginning, though; at least he hoped so.  There WAS one thing he probably needed to make clear, however; he thought it was already self-apparent, especially after the whole Jared fiasco.  "Justin, what just happened was incredible," he began as he continued to caress his lover's arm.  "Fucking amazing," he admitted as Justin blushed. "I would dare say even the best sex I've ever had.  And there're so many other things I want to show you; that was just the beginning."  He paused before adding quietly, "But I never bottom - not for anyone; no matter _how_ good they are."

 

Justin's face scrunched up in confusion before his eyes narrowed as realization set in.  "Do you think that's what that was?  Me trying to wangle an invitation to the Brian Open?"

 

"Not funny," Brian retorted flatly.

 

"No, it's not," Justin agreed, perturbed.  "I was just..." His face turned a deep shade of pink as he struggled to speak amidst his anger; it was all still so new to him.  "I was just touching you, that's all!  I _like_ touching you.  Shit; you know I've never been with anyone else before!  That's all it was, Brian!"  His eyes flashed with aggravation.  "I'm sorry if you felt threatened by that."  He shook his head sadly in disbelief before promptly bolting up to a sitting position and launching himself up from the blanket.  "I'm going for a swim to wash all this shit off," he growled as he glared down at Brian, clearly irritated and hurt.

 

Brian sighed; why did he always seem to say the wrong things around this boy?  As guilty as Brian felt just then over what he had said, he had to hold back a smile, however, as Justin rose to his feet and hobbled toward the water, clearly sore after their encounter.  He knew if Justin saw the look of amusement on his face or thought he was making fun of him, though, that would be a hundred times worse than what he would have to make up for now.  "Justin...come back here," he implored softly, but the other boy kept limping toward the pond as if he hadn't heard.  "Justin..."

 

"Leave me the hell alone!"

 

Brian rolled his eyes.  "Oh, for the love of..."

 

"That's where you're wrong!" Justin shouted back over his shoulder as he neared the water.  "The only thing you love is _yourself_!"  And with that, he promptly stood at the rocky ledge near the pond and dove into the deep side, right where Brian had lost his footing that one day when Justin had eluded him. Well, he wasn't going to fall for that again. And he wasn't giving up without a fight this time, either.

 

"Shit," Brian muttered as he took a brief moment to admire the perfectly-curved bubble butt before it disappeared into the water.  Rising to his feet and walking over to the pond's edge, he observed Justin shaking the water out of his eyes as he rose to the surface.  Walking over to the same rocky ledge Justin had used a few minutes earlier, Brian suddenly jumped, cannonball-style, into the water directly beside him, causing Justin to sputter and cough as the water splashed furiously around him and rushed into his nose and mouth.

 

"What the fuck, Brian?" Justin groused as the older boy quickly rose back up to the surface to stand beside him; this time he made sure to find his footing beneath him on one of the flat, solid ledges under the water, instead of winding up being dragged down into the hidden, deep end again.  "Get away from me!"

 

"I will not!" Brian countered as he grasped Justin by the upper arms and dug his fingers into the soft flesh to force him to look at him.  He wasn't letting him get away this time.  He found that Justin was amazingly strong, however, as he almost wrenched himself away from him, but he managed to hold on just barely.  "You're going to listen to me, you obstinate asshole!"

 

Justin's blue eyes flashed in indignation.  "I heard you the first time!  You're the top, the alpha!  Whatever you say goes!  I get it!  You and Jared deserve each other after ALL!"

 

Brian's nostrils flared; not too differently than Headstrong's, Justin decided, as he growled at him, "Don't SAY that!  I want nothing to do with him, and you know that!  I want YOU, damn it!  Why are you so stubborn?"

 

Justin huffed incredulously.  "Stubborn? This has NOTHING to do with being _stubborn_!"  His mouth hung open in disbelief.  "Just because I'm not...not as _big-headed_ as you doesn't mean that I, I wouldn't be able to...aargh!"  He rolled his eyes as he felt his face warming at the intriguing thought.  "I tried to tell you before; I wasn't even thinking about that!  I was too busy trying to find room for your dick! Trust me, _Stud_ , if I was interested in going down that path I wouldn't have had any problems at all letting you kn..."

 

He didn't get a chance to finish his tirade, however, because Brian decided a fired-up Justin was a quite sexy Justin, and he knew of only one effective way to shut him up. So he took advantage of the open, inviting lips and plastered a big, wet kiss on them.  He could feel Justin sputtering against his lips in protest for a few seconds and trying to push him away initially, but it was only for a brief moment.  He relaxed somewhat and deepened the kiss as he sensed Justin melting into his embrace and sliding his arms around his waist to link them at his back.  Tongue pushing inside to get a better taste, Brian kept going, even when he felt Justin's hands creeping lower to firmly squeeze his ass cheeks, almost tempting him to rail against him once more.  He noticed his fingers didn't stray anywhere else, though.  He only broke off the kiss when he heard Justin giggling against his mouth and felt his lips vibrating against his.

 

He pulled back in confusion, noticing the look of mirth on the other boy's face.  "What's so damn funny?" he growled as Justin grinned back at him.  He had certainly never gotten _that_ response to his sexual overtures before.

 

"Nothing," was the saucy reply as Justin's eyes twinkled, his previous anger apparently gone now.  In fact, to Brian he seemed to be outright enjoying himself.

 

"Bullshit!  Something's funny!"  Brian growled.  "Why don't you share with me what's so amusing about my kisses that you have to laugh about them?"

 

Justin pursed his lips together firmly and smiled for a moment before he explained, "It's not your kisses, Brian.  It's just that when you started arguing with me a little while ago..."

 

"I started it?"

 

"That's _not_ what I meant....Well, okay, maybe it was.  In a manner of speaking, you have to admit..." Justin began to ramble. 

 

Bestowing a long-suffering look upon him, Brian opened up his mouth to protest vehemently, only to shut it as Justin reached one hand up to place it against his lips.  "Will you just keep quiet for a change?" he entreated.  Brian rolled his eyes at the irony, but remained compliant as Justin went onto explain, "It's just that when you get all riled up, your nose does this thing..."

 

Brian brought his hand up to capture Justin's as he pressed, " _What_ thing?  What are you talking about?"

 

Justin's smile grew wider as he finally revealed, "Well, your nostrils kind of get enlarged and you can see the breath coming in and out in huffs...kind of like when I race Headstrong and he gets all worked up."

 

Brian's mouth fell open in disbelief.  "Wait a damn minute!  Are you comparing me to a fucking horse?"

 

Justin grinned.  "Well, I guess you could say that...and you're both hung, too," he said, his face reddening at the thought of what has just occurred between them on the blanket.   "And look at it this way," he added as Brian glared at him.  "Headstrong is a champion race horse.  I could have compared you to Mr. Ed or My Little Pony instead."

 

Brian gaped at him for several seconds as Justin merely smiled back at him impishly.  "Why, you little shit...Take it back, Justin!"

 

"Hell, no!  Look," he pointed out helpfully as Brian huffed in exasperation, "your nostrils are flaring right now!"

 

Brian scowled over at him for a moment longer and held his breath, his lips pressed tightly together in irritation as Justin shrugged; the water lapped lazily around them for an immeasurable amount of time until suddenly, without any warning, Justin let out a squeal as Brian abruptly dove under the water and grabbed his legs to pull him under with him.

 

The two lovers embraced each other under the surface as Brian stole a water-soaked kiss from his companion before the two of them broke through the water.  Arms entangled around each other, they continued to kiss as they stood chest high in the pond, their desire for each other flaring anew between them.

 

Brian finally broke their kiss, finding that his solution to stifle Justin's diatribe was quite enjoyable; his boy now looked thoroughly kissed and completely ravaged.  His golden hair was plastered tightly against his face, and his eyelids were sprinkled with water drops, and Brian thought he was the most wondrous sight he had ever seen.  "Justin..." he murmured so emotionally that Justin's eyes darkened into a mesmerizing shade of blue, much like the cornflowers his aunt was constantly instructing him to plant around the farmhouse. 

 

"Brian?" was the soft query.

 

Brian lightly brushed Justin's cheek with the back of his hand as he replied in kind, "Yeah?"

 

Justin blushed.  "What's it like?"

 

"What's _what_ like?"

 

Justin turned an even darker shade of pink if that was possible as he replied, "What's it like to do it in the water?"

 

Brian grinned as he understood instantly what Justin meant.  "Want to find out?"  He asked with a leer, reaching down to cup Justin's buttocks to lift him up slightly, the water providing a perfect buoyancy.

 

Justin nodded with a smile of delight, instinctively wrapping his legs around Brian's torso to link them behind his back.  "Yeah...you'll find I'm a quick study."

 

* * *

 

Thirty minutes and one fuck in the water later, the two boys had returned to the blanket to lie on  their sides facing each other, Brian holding Justin in his arms as Justin lay with his head on Brian's chest, their legs snared together as their bodies touched from head to foot.  He marveled at how perfectly they fit together and how amazing being with Justin felt.  Yes, his young lover could be quite exasperating at times, but he was also the perfect foil for his more impetuous and devil-may-care nature.  And while he was by far much less experienced than he was in a number of ways, he also challenged him without hesitation and made him feel things he had never felt before.  He made him _care_.

 

"Justin?" he whispered to him.

 

"Mmmm?" was the sleepy reply.

 

Brian smiled at the lazy response.  "Can I ask you something?"

 

"Yes," Justin replied, his lips creating a ticklish sensation against Brian's skin.  "It was just as good as the first time."

 

Brian chuckled.  "No, that's not what I was going to ask - but that's good to know."

 

Justin raised his head in curiosity.  "What, then?"   He could see Brian seeming to hesitate for just a moment, causing some initial worry.

 

Brian took a breath as he idly caressed Justin's shoulder in a circular pattern.  "Justin...you promised to tell me what happened to Dale; how he died."  That peculiar situation had never been far from his mind, and perhaps this wasn't the best of times to broach it.  But then again; when _would_ it be?  Everyone seemed to pointedly skirt around the topic.  At least with Justin, he could be guaranteed to get the unvarnished truth.

 

"Brian..."

 

"Justin, I need to know.  I think I have a _right_ to know, don't you?  I want to help my aunt and uncle.  I want to understand them, and I can't do that until I know what happened back then."

 

Justin peered into his eyes for a few seconds before he nodded.  "Okay.  I guess you're right."  Justin disentangled himself from Brian's embrace to push himself up into a sitting position on the blanket as Brian did the same, placing his hand on Justin's knee companionably while he waited with rapt attention to finally learn the circumstances of his cousin's death.

 

"Well, you know that he died three years ago," Justin began, clasping his hands in his lap as Brian nodded silently.  "And you know it was during a race?"

 

Brian nodded again, not wanting to possibly do anything to cause Justin to stop now.  He sensed this was going to be his best chance to get at the truth.

 

Justin smiled fondly as he recalled the older boy.  "Dale was an even better racer than I was," he revealed.  "He was my biggest competition, in fact. But he was also fun-loving and a good friend."

 

Brian's eyes widened.  "He was?"  Justin nodded.  He rolled his lips under mischievously. "When did you start racing, then - kindergarten?"

 

Justin rolled his eyes before reaching over to smack Brian in the chest.  "No," he replied with a grin.  "I started about a year before Dale died."  His smile faded as he thought back to that dreadful day.  "It was at the same place, in fact, as where I'll be racing tomorrow - Red Mill."  He winced as the image of Dale's accident popped into his mind and his face contorted in pain as he stared straight ahead, not focusing on anything in particular.

 

"Justin?"

 

He blinked his eyes as he turned to look into Brian's concerned face.  He managed a slight smile of gratitude as he assured him, "I'm okay."  Brian nodded as he took a deep breath.  "I remember it was a beautiful day starting out.  Sunny and not a cloud in the sky.  The temperature was just perfect, too, for racing.  In the low 60's."  Justin felt Brian's grip on his leg tighten as he glanced down at his hands to recall what had happened.  "Dale was already there with his parents when I got there with Jared and mom and dad," he informed Brian. "We always parked our trailers near each other and talked before the race.  It helped both of us to calm our nerves, even though Dale had nothing to worry about.  He was always much more confident in his abilities than I was."

 

Brian frowned.  "I doubt that, Justin.  You have a special gift with horses.  I may not be an expert at all when it comes to what you do, but anyone can see that."

 

Justin smiled.  "Thanks.  But you should have seen Dale!  It was almost like he was one with the horse; almost like he was an extension of True Blue."

 

"True Blue?"

 

Justin nodded.  "That was the name of Dale's race horse."

 

" _Was_?  Was he injured during the race and had to be put down or something?"

 

"No," he told him wryly.  "Although sometime I wish he _had_ been."  He hastily added, "Pretend I didn't say that.  I don't really mean it, but he CAN be a stubborn son of a bitch sometimes.  Almost ALL the time."  In response to Brian's puzzled look, he explained, "After Dale died, your uncle couldn't bear to look at him anymore, so Sarah asked us if we could board him for them.  He's been at our farm ever since.  But no one can handle him very much, much less ride him."

 

Brian's mouth hung partially open in surprise.  "Not even you?"

 

Justin shook his head.  "No...I go anywhere near him and he starts chuffing and flaring his nostrils in aggravation..."  He blushed with a grin as Brian plastered a pointed gaze at him.  "Sorry...but it's true."  He sighed as his face sobered.  "I don't think my father's too thrilled about us taking care of him, but the Walkers pay us enough to do it and we have the room.  Plus, Vic mainly takes care of his feeding - and he somehow manages to let him groom him, too, although you can never let your guard down around him.  He's a real wild one."

 

Brian nodded.  "What about Dale?" he gently pressed.

 

Justin let out a breath.  "Well, it was the fourth race of the day - around two, I think.  And the place was packed that day.  Dale was shooting for his fourth straight win on the circuit and was undefeated.  There was just something about his rapport with True Blue that made everyone stand up and take notice, so he could really draw the crowds in.  He and I had just reached the starting gate, and I can remember him flashing me this smile and giving me a thumbs up before he waved over at his parents.  They used to attend every race he was in."

 

Justin gazed out through the clearing of the cedar trees, almost as if he were going back into time as he continued softly, "His parents were so proud of what he had accomplished.  Dale and I were positioned side by side at the starting gate that day, like we often were."  He smiled.  "Of course, normally by the end of the race he was pretty far ahead of me.  I can't tell you how many times I would come in second to him at the track."

 

Brian sat quietly next to the younger boy, almost reliving the moment through Justin's eyes as he began to finally learn what had happened.

 

"Anyway, we started the race and we were neck and neck for about the first half of the lap.  But then, as usual, he began to pull away from me and Headstrong.  Normally I would have been fairly close behind him.  But that day..."  He bit his lip.  "That day, I wound up in third place, behind someone else instead."  He sighed.  "Maybe if I had kept up with him that day like I usually could, none of it would have happened."

 

Brian removed his hand from Justin's knee to reach over and clasp his right hand in his.  "None of what, Justin?" he asked him softly, noticing the look of distress and guilt on his face.

 

Justin turned to stare at him for a moment before he told Brian, "Maybe he wouldn't be dead now."

 

"Justin, Aunt Sarah said it was an accident," Brian reminded him softly.

 

He nodded.  "Yeah," he reluctantly agreed.  He let out a heavy breath.  "But was it?" was the shocking reply.

 

Brian frowned as his grip tightened imperceptibly.  "Justin, what exactly happened that day? Why would you say that?"

 

His eyes assuming a faraway look, Justin disclosed painfully, "His wheel.  His left wheel.  The fucking thing just fell right off."  He winced as he recalled the moment that the sulky had pitched over onto its side and Dale had promptly been thrown off.

 

Brian stared into Justin's face as he watched his eyes cloud over.  "He...He might have actually survived, since he was wearing his helmet," he added as Brian firmly held onto his hand.  "But then...he...he was," he sucked in a deep breath and let it out.  "He was trampled by the other horse coming up behind him.  The ambulance that was always kept on call removed him from the track right away and worked on him all the way to the hospital. But there was nothing that could be done.  His windpipe was crushed by the weight of the horse, and he had suffered several broken ribs and a punctured lung."  He shuddered at the thought as Brian tugged him closer to his body and slid his arm around his waist comfortingly.

 

"That must have been awful," Brian murmured.  He could feel Justin trembling beside him as he nodded.

 

"Yeah," he whispered.   "We all went to the hospital as soon as we had Headstrong secured at the stable.  But by the time we got there, he was already gone."  He pressed his lips tightly together as he turned to stare into Brian's face.  "Mrs. Walker was so upset.  She was sobbing loudly in the ER, and nothing my mother did could console her.  But Mr. Walker...Your uncle just sat there like he was in a trance.  It was like he had no emotion on his face at all, almost like his purpose for living was gone.  It was like a light had been extinguished in him; like he was an entirely different person. And...He's been like that ever since."  He blinked before his lips turned upward.  "At least until _you_ got here."

 

Brian smirked.  "Well, I do bring out the best in everyone."  He shared a grin with Justin until he noticed his lover's expression cloud over again.  His face changed into something more solemn as he asked, "Justin, why did it sound like you were questioning whether it was an accident before?  Are you suggesting it was something else?  Surely it was investigated."

 

Justin nodded.  "Yeah.  They interviewed all the drivers - that's what they call the harness racers," he explained as he noticed Brian's look of confusion.  "And they talked to all the maintenance people and even viewed the footage of the race itself.  But there was nothing to suggest it was anything but an accident, and that's what the coroner ultimately ruled was the cause of death."

 

Brian pulled Justin a little closer to his body as he pressed, "But you still have doubts.  Why?"

 

Justin struggled to explain.  "I don't really know. It's just that it didn't feel right; it _still_ doesn't feel right.  Dale was always so careful about preparing for a race.  He always wore a helmet, protective goggles, and even knee pads.  He was so meticulous about checking the sulky before he harnessed True Blue to it.  And he always did a final walk around the entire apparatus and checked for any loose or damaged parts before he climbed on board.  He kept a religious maintenance schedule, and it always looked brand new.  He had never had any problems with it before. That's why this doesn't make sense at all, Brian.  How could he have missed something as major as a loose wheel?"

 

"I don't know," Brian admitted.  "Maybe it wasn't loose before he started the race.  Maybe he hit a rut in the track and it jarred it loose."

 

"Maybe," Justin conceded, although he still had his doubts.  "But not very likely.  The surface of the track is always raked before a race to smooth over anything like that, and it's one of the best-run tracks in the state.  I just don't understand how something like that could have come loose that quickly, even if he DID miss it somehow.   It just defies logic.  How did it go from being secure to being loose enough that it fell all the way off?"

 

Brian shook his head.  "Did you bring this up to Uncle Will or Aunt Sarah?"

 

"No," Justin admitted regretfully.  "I figured the Racing Commission Board would investigate it thoroughly and that they knew more about what to look for than I did.  And Mrs. Walker was so upset after it happened that I didn't have the heart to insinuate it might have been intentional.  And your uncle...well, he clammed up so tightly after it happened that no one could reach him."  He closed his eyes briefly before letting out a tense breath.  Turning to Brian, he advised him, "Do you know he still can't visit his grave?  They buried him in the family plot at the back of the farm.  But as far as I know he's never been out there to see it.  I've seen your aunt out there several times with Solomon.  She always brings him flowers from their garden and makes sure that the grass inside the fenced-in area is cut; Vic or I do that for her.  But I'm pretty sure your uncle has never been there."

 

"Well, he certainly doesn't come off as the sentimental type," Brian countered.  "So it figures."

 

"No, that's not exactly true," Justin insisted.  "He wasn't always the way he is, Brian.  You've started to bring out something in him again."

 

Brian brought Justin's hand over to his cock, letting him feel the hardness beneath.  "You bring out something in _me_."

 

Justin blushed deeply as he felt the pulsating shaft, hot and silky under his touch.  "Brian..." he murmured in embarrassment.

 

Brian grinned in amusement over how easy his lover was, his tongue rolled into his cheek over Justin's reaction.  He felt Justin give his cock a brief squeeze before, to his disappointment, Justin brought their hands back to rest on top of Brian's thigh.  His face turned serious as he asked Justin softly, "You really think Dale's accident might have been deliberately caused?  Someone would actually do that?" 

 

Justin sighed.  "It's possible," he admitted.  "Racing can be a cutthroat business, especially when money's involved."

 

Brian's eyes widened slightly.  "You've seen that?"

 

Justin nodded.  "Oh, a lot of them don't come out and SAY they would do something to ruin your chances of winning.  And most drivers are very ethical and have a great deal of responsibility when it comes to their horses and to other drivers.  But money can change people a lot - and not all to the good.  I haven't been racing all that long, but Vic has. And the stories he tells me - about horses being drugged so they're unable to race, bets being made to throw races...and equipment being sabotaged so either a horse can't run at all or the rider suddenly comes down with an illness...Yes, I would say it IS possible that it was sabotage."

 

Brain shook his head sadly.  "Unbelievable," he muttered.  "All for a fucking horse race."  He gazed over at the boy who had become so important to him.  "You've won a lot of races yourself, Justin; aren't you worried that something could happen to _you_ , too?"

 

Justin swallowed hard.  He'd be lying if he said that thought hadn't crossed his mind from time to time.  But what choice did he have?  It was their main source of income, the only way they stayed afloat.  They certainly couldn't live on the money his mother's honey crop brought in or on the basis of his father's accounting acumen.

 

"Justin?"

 

He lifted his gaze to look into Brian's worried eyes.  "I've thought about it," he finally admitted as Brian's grip on his hand tightened.  "But you can't live like that, worrying day to day about something that might not ever happen.  And we need the money," he added simply.

 

"No amount of money is worth your life," was the fervent reply as Brian leaned in closer to Justin's face, becoming engrossed in the blue eyes staring back at him.  "Justin, I..."  He wasn't sure what he wanted to say at that moment, or even how to express how he was feeling.  But he DID know that this boy was engendering feelings in him that were both deep as well as fucking terrifying, kind of like scaling the highest cliff.  Unable to say aloud what he was feeling, he chose, instead, to try and show him as he leaned in and gently placed his lips against the full, plush lips, feeling Justin's small pants of breath washing over his mouth.  This kiss was gentle, sensual, and lazy, but he hoped that it expressed to Justin everything he wanted it to as he finally pulled back to stare into his eyes again, their hands still clasped between them.

 

Justin sighed, noting the darkness fast encroaching.  "I...I have to get back," he told him with deep regret.  "I promised my mom and dad I wouldn't be gone too long, and I need to try and get a good night's sleep before the race tomorrow."  One side of his mouth turned upward as he added wryly, "If that's possible, that is."

 

Brian grinned.  "Are you saying I'm a bad influence on you, Rex?"

 

Justin laughed.  "Rex?  That's a new one."  He stared into Brian's eyes as he admitted softly, "Yeah, you ARE a bad influence on me...in a _good_ way."

 

Brian didn't need any further invitation to steal another kiss for several seconds until, with great reluctance, he pulled back.  "Okay," he finally whispered as he reached up to tenderly tuck some stray hair behind Justin's ear, knowing if he was to maintain any level of civility and tolerance with Justin's parents - especially his father - he'd better not rock the boat too much.  Besides, he knew his uncle would be looking for him soon.  He had made up some lame-ass excuse earlier that he was 'going for a walk.'  Even to his own ears, that sounded pretty ridiculous.  He certainly was no nature lover; at least, not unless it involved spending time in a grove of trees making love to this beautiful boy. And he decided that that was what it was - making love.  To merely peg it as 'having sex' or 'fucking' wasn't really doing it justice.

 

He rose to slowly stand up and extend his hand down to the other boy; Justin clasped his hand in his as Brian helped him up, stealing one more quick peck on his lips before the two of them walked over to begin getting dressed.  Brian noticed Justin wincing as he bent down to shrug into his pants, jamming his briefs into one of the pockets.  "I should have warned you about that," Brian told him.  "You're going to be sore tomorrow.  After all, you always _are_ when you're using muscles you've never used before," he said with a wink, causing Justin to blush again before he groaned at the thought of riding in the race tomorrow.

 

" _How_ sore?"

 

Brian smirked; secretly proud that he was cause of it.  The idea of Justin never having been with anyone else made him feel inordinately smug as well as pleased.

 

"Oh, about as sore as someone who's had a broom shoved up their ass," he replied with a grin.  "A BIG broom."

 

"Fuck," Justin growled.  "Do you know how hard those damn seats are on a sulky?"  Just the thought of being jostled around on top of one of those unforgiving leather seats was making him cringe.  Pulling on his shirt he stood facing Brian, grasping his shoes and socks in his hands as he looked around for his treasured gift.  At least Brian wasn't laughing at him; he supposed that was something.

 

Brian smiled.  "I'll get it," he told him softly as, now clad in his jeans but still bare-chested and without shoes and socks, he walked over and retrieved the leather sketchbook.  Returning to Justin's side, he extended it outward to hand it to him, only to grab Justin's wrist as the younger boy reached out to take it.

 

"Brian...I really do have to go..."

 

"I know," he assured him as he pulled him closer.  "What time is your race tomorrow?" he asked softly.

 

"One o'clock."

 

Brian nodded.  "I bet it's amazing to watch one of those races; I'd love to be there to watch you."  _To watch OVER you_ , he thought silently. But he wouldn't say that out loud.  Perhaps he didn't need to, though, as Justin flushed in pleasure.

 

"You would?"

 

Brian nodded again.  "Yeah.   I guess there's no way I could talk my uncle into going, though; especially after what you just told me.  And there's no fucking way that _I_ could drive."  Somehow he suspected that his aunt wouldn't do it, either, although he imagined he could be quite persuasive where she was concerned.  Something told him, however, that in this backwater of a town what the husband says still goes, at least in the Walker household, so he knew as strong a woman as his aunt was, she wouldn't go against his uncle's wishes.  "Damn.  I'd really like to be there, Justin."

 

Justin's face fell; he, too, would love nothing better than to have Brian there watching him race.  Tomorrow was shaping up to be a beautiful, early summer day, and Headstrong was right on mark lately.  He had enough of a strong bond with the horse to know when he was on his game, and he could tell; they would do well tomorrow.  Unless someone unexpectedly enters the circuit tomorrow that he's not familiar with, he stood an excellent chance of coming out on top again.   Racing always got his adrenalin pumping; with Brian there, it would be an incredible day.  "I wish you could be there, too," he whispered sincerely as Brian's fingers caressed his wrist.

 

All of a sudden, Brian had a promising epiphany.  "Vic's going, isn't he?

 

Justin's face broke out into a hopeful smile.  "Yeah...he's going to be hauling the horse trailer tomorrow.  And Emmett wants to come watch the race, too.  So..."

 

"So I think I can hitch a ride with them - don't you think?" Brian finished the statement for him, grinning at the thought.  Perhaps afterward he and Justin could privately 'celebrate' what would no doubt be another win for him, too.  After tonight, he knew one encounter would never be enough with this boy.  He suspected a _lifetime_ of encounters would never leave him fully satisfied.

 

Justin nodded, his face breaking out into a radiant smile that almost made Brian's heart stop.  "Yeah!  I'm sure he wouldn't mind at all!"  His face sobered, however, as he asked, "You think your uncle will let you come, though?"

 

"He'd better," Brian growled.  "He's been working me like a fucking dog ever since I got here.  I _deserve_ a little time off.  I think I can convince Aunt Sarah to help me with my cause.  What time do you think Vic and Emmett will have to leave?"

 

Justin bit his lip.  "Well, since he's bringing Headstrong, he has to get there a little early.  Maybe around 11:30?  That's about the same time that we're leaving."

 

Brian nodded.  "Sounds good.  That should give me enough time to take care of some chores, too; that should satisfy my uncle somewhat."  He winced at the word 'chores.'  "Shit, he's already turning me into a damn hillbilly!"

 

Justin laughed as he pulled Brian closer to him.  "Maybe...but you are one _sexy_ hillbilly," he whispered, his voice low and silky.

 

Brian pushed his tongue into the corner of his mouth.  "I am, aren't I?" he agreed as Justin grinned at him.  "Care to refresh my memory?"

 

"You're insatiable," Justin decided as the other boy swooped in for one, final kiss. Tongues dueling and two pairs of thoroughly-ravaged lips later, they reluctantly broke apart.

 

_Only when it comes to you_ , Brian thought silently as he smiled over at him.  "Go," he urged him as he let go of him.  "Go before I decide I need to take another ride."

 

Justin blushed at the thought as, clutching his precious gift, he nodded and turned to go, glancing back after several feet to see Brian watching him.  Brian made a sort of shooing motion with his hands and called out, "Git along, Little Doggie," as Justin rolled his eyes and with a grin slowly walked away.  "I'll see you tomorrow," he called after him confidently as Justin nodded; soon he disappeared through the thick expanse of trees.

 

Brian stood there, his thoughts a jumble of emotions, before he slipped his shoes and socks back on and, shrugging into his shirt, headed in the same direction as Justin, wondering how he was going to sleep tonight as well.


	19. Envy is a Four-Letter Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin prepares for his next big race. Will Brian be there as well? Jared finds an ally with a friend, who he may not know as well as he thinks. Will and Sarah come to an understanding regarding Dale's death.

 

   

 

Justin groaned as he limped into the shower.  Brian had been not been exaggerating yesterday when he had warned him how sore his ass would be the next day after they had fucked.  Even though Brian had been inordinately gentle with him, every swish of his hips, every forward movement of his legs, caused him discomfort.  Brian certainly had been correct about it, also; it DID feel like a large broomstick had been shoved up his ass.  He winced as he stepped into the combination bathtub/shower.  That was a pretty close analogy, he decided, as he turned the water on and stood back just outside of range until it had warmed up sufficiently.  The feel of Brian's cock inside him was still with him, even now.  He remembered at the time that he felt like he couldn't possibly be able to accommodate such thickness, such fullness when Brian had thrust inside him.  But somehow he had.

 

He blushed as he stepped under the hot water while memories of what he and Brian had done yesterday sprung to his mind.  Yes, it still hurt like hell at the moment. But in a way, he was proud of that fact.  It was solid proof that what happened yesterday hadn't been a figment of his imagination; it had really, finally happened.  And while he felt pretty miserable right now - and wondered how in the world he was going to tolerate being jostled around on top of the sulky seat - he wouldn't have traded last night for anything.

 

His parents had eyed him curiously as he had come back home; he could almost see the unbidden question on their lips, but to their credit, they hadn't said anything.  Somehow he suspected that they knew full well he hadn't gone swimming alone, but they had left their suspicions unsaid, merely nodding at him as he had come through the back door into the living room and suggesting that he retire early so he would be refreshed and ready for today's race.  Fortunately, the soreness hadn't quite set in until this morning, so he was able to act fairly normal last night as he had nodded back at them and stiffly ascended the stairs to the second floor.

 

Now as he trudged back into his bedroom, waist wrapped with a white towel, he wondered if yesterday had been such a good idea - or at least the timing of it.  No, there was no way he regretted it, he decided with a smile, as he sat down on the bed and reached for his racing outfit that he had laid out on the bed earlier.  His smile widened and his heart fluttered at the thought.  Yes, it had been damn painful at first. But once he had broken through the pain and had felt the first inkling of just how mind-blowing the experience would be, it had been... _magical_.  That was the only way he could describe it.  Now he felt an even deeper bond with Brian, and he knew, somehow he just knew, that Brian had never treated another boy the way he had been treated.  He had made him feel special; _everything_ Brian had done yesterday had made him feel special.  He leaned over just enough to pull the red leather sketchbook from the nightstand where he had placed it last night, running his fingers over the smooth, luxurious surface.  He couldn't believe Brian had presented him with such a spectacular gift.  He couldn't have presented him with a more perfect expression of how much he cared about him than if he had read his mind.  Just knowing how much thought he had put into finding the right gift for him filled him with so much warmth and pleasure. 

 

No, there was no way that Brian had ever done something like this for another boy; he could feel it.  Carefully, lovingly, he placed it beside him on the mattress as he began to get dressed.  He would be wearing his standard racing attire today - a white, black, and periwinkle-green, lightweight, nylon racing jumpsuit and his yellow and green racing helmet, the colors indicative of his family's crest.  He was quite superstitious when it came to racing day - he had worn this same outfit for every race since he had first started, finding it a little embarrassing that he could still fit into it even now after three years.  He rolled his eyes wryly.  Apparently any 'growth spurt' he might be hoping for was over now.  But it had brought him great luck before, so he wasn't about to break with tradition now. 

 

 

He had not had a chance yet to speak with either Emmett or Vic, so he had no way of knowing if Brian had succeeded in his plan to be there for his race or not. Just the thought of it, though, made him extremely excited.  He couldn't think of anything so nerve-wracking - but also exhilarating - as seeing Brian up there in the stands, cheering him on.  And he had to admit - he would love to show off his racing skills to impress him.  Because next to his art, he was only in his true element when he was out on that race track, feeling like he was free of constraints and one with his horse.

 

Finally managing to tug himself into his jumpsuit, he picked up his fiberglass helmet and proceeded painfully down the hallway toward the stairs.  He could hear his parents talking, probably down at the kitchen table, as he bit his lip to try and control the soreness in his ass while he descended the steps.  Standing at the bottom, he took a couple of calming breaths and straightened up his posture before walking down the short hallway to the kitchen.

 

Jen smiled at her son from the stove as she scooped up some gravy to place it into a Corelle bowl to accompany her homemade biscuits.  "There you are," she said.  "Go take a seat; I just finished fixing your breakfast." 

 

He nodded with a smile of his own as he gingerly took his place at his normal spot, right across from his father who was sipping some coffee while he gazed at part of the paper lying in front of him.  "Sleep well, Son?" he asked politely, secretly wondering exactly what had transpired yesterday evening, but choosing to remain silent about it, at least for now. 

 

Justin didn't want to lie, but then again, he didn't think his father would think too kindly to the reason why he had hardly slept at all.  Being physically uncomfortable - and dreaming about a certain, gorgeous boy - hadn't served too well for a restful night's sleep.  So he nodded instead as he told him, "Yeah.  I slept fine, and I'm all set.  After breakfast I'm going out to double check on Headstrong and make sure he's ready to go, too."  He also hoped that he would run into either Vic or Emmett.  He wanted to make sure that Brian had had a chance to speak with them about going with them today.  _Please let his uncle say yes,_ he couldn't help thinking as his mother walked over with the bowl of gravy and placed it down next to the basket of biscuits warming underneath a red-and-white checkered towel. 

 

"Good idea," Craig replied in approval.  "How's he been acting lately?"

 

Justin smiled.  "He's been doing great.  The practice runs have been around his top average speed.  I have a good feeling about today's race," he told him confidently. 

 

"Glad to hear it," Craig told him with a nod, trying hard to concentrate on his son and not on the fact that they could definitely use the money.  He had to confess; he didn't know _what_ they were going to do once Justin headed off to college. He had finally resigned himself to it happening, however; he realized he and Jen couldn't keep their only responsible son here at the farm, mainly because he happened to be their chief breadwinner at the moment. 

 

Justin nodded back at him as his mom passed him the basket of biscuits, his thoughts focused on getting finished with breakfast as soon as possible without appearing overeager.  Fifteen minutes later and his discomfort temporarily forgotten, he excused himself from the table and headed outside toward the stables, a smile breaking out on his face as he noticed Vic tending to True Blue out in the paddock.

 

"Hey, it's _Mr_. _Fly Like the Wind_ ," Vic kidded him as Justin approached.  "Ready for the race today?  Should be a good day for it." 

 

Justin nodded from his place on the other side of the fence, making sure to stay far enough away from True Blue so as not to get him riled up. While Vic seemed to be able to work with him - like he was doing now as he brushed his coat until it gleamed - he and Dale's former horse just didn't seem to mesh for some reason.  It was a little disconcerting, since he had always prided himself on his ability to communicate so well with the horses they boarded on their farm. With this one, however, it was as if the horse thought he was his enemy.  He would never understand it.  He had tried diligently to make friends with True Blue soon after Dale's accident, but after coming close to getting trampled a couple of times, he finally came to the conclusion that it wasn't meant to be.  The horse got along well enough with Headstrong and the other horses they bred and boarded, but except for Vic, no one could handle him.  He thought Headstrong would have been a better name for _this_ horse, rather than the one he raced. 

 

"Yeah...Ready as I'll ever be," he replied as Vic nodded, continuing to brush the coarse hair. 

 

"Uh...Vic?" 

 

"Yeah?" 

 

"Have...Have you talked to Brian lately?"

 

His back to his young friend, Vic was able to successfully hide the amused smile from his face as he casually replied, "Why do you ask?" 

 

Justin's face flushed.  Why was he making such a big deal out of it?  It was just a casual question.  Maybe it was because it WAS a big deal - to him, at least.  "Well, because, I just thought that..."

 

"...That he might want to hitch a ride with Emmett and me so he could watch you race today?" Vic answered as he turned to Justin with a smile.  Justin nodded shyly, relieved.  "He might have spoken to me about it..."

 

"Vic..." he pleaded.

 

The older man grinned.  "Yeah, okay, he did," he confirmed to Justin's delight.  "And I told him I would be happy to have him ride along with us.  Had to tell him that he'd be riding in the back of the truck, though. But strangely enough, he didn't seem to have a problem with that."  He squinted through the bright sunshine at Justin as he added teasingly, "Must really be love, then." 

 

Justin turned red as he clutched his helmet in his hand.  "Vic..."

 

Vic laughed.  "Don't worry, Justin.  I won't tell anyone."  He looked over fondly at his friend before he added softly, "But I don't think it's any secret by now that he cares about you...and you him." 

 

"You...you really think so?"  He couldn't keep the hopefulness out of his voice.  It was one thing to believe it himself; it was quite another for an objective party to feel the same way. 

 

Vic nodded as the two of them heard the door to his trailer open with a bang as Emmett came bounding out, dressed in a pair of shiny, black pants, his salmon pink pair of alligator boots, and a white, short-sleeved tee-shirt with the words, _I'm From Alabama - Let's Get Drunk_ , written in big, bold, magenta-colored letters. 

 

"Hey, Uncle!" he chirped as he walked up to them and stood next to Justin by the fence.  He smiled warmly at his friend.  "Hi, Baby!"  He eyed the custom-fitted, periwinkle-and-white jump suit Justin was wearing and clucked appreciatively.  "My, my, my...that outfit certainly gets part of ME racing..."

 

"Em," Justin mumbled in embarrassment, his cheeks turning pink as Vic chuckled softly.  "It's what I _always_ wear to my races." 

 

"Well, then, no wonder you're always winning; all the other jockeys are probably ogling _you_ instead of paying attention to the race," he decided.

 

Justin grinned.  "I think most of them are straight," he pointed out.  "Besides, trust me; they can be pretty bloodthirsty when it comes to winning and losing.  And they prefer to be called drivers, not jockeys, by the way." 

 

Emmett nodded.  "Hmm...Drivers. I like that.  Sounds much more forceful. But at any rate, the outfit suits you, Sweetie."  He looked over at his uncle and the object of his attention. It was the first time he had gotten an up-close look at True Blue.  "My goodness, he's a brute, isn't he?" he exclaimed, his mouth hanging open.  Just the horse's head looked as big as his torso.  The horse was sleek but very strong looking as he shifted his head a little restlessly from side to side while Vic continued to groom him.  "They make them big here in Kentucky, don't they?" 

 

Vic smiled as he turned to peer over at him.  "Well, this one is a little larger than most - and about twice as obstinate, too."  He finished up with his task as he wiped his hands on his jeans.  "There you go, Boy," he murmured soothingly as he gave the horse a small pat on his rump.  True Blue whinnied slightly as he began to slowly lope away. 

 

"You think he'll ever be tamed?" Justin asked as he watched the magnificent animal amble away from them.  He was a beautiful horse, so majestic and proud.  He marveled at how well Dale could handle him when he was alive.  Ironically, the horse had something in common with Dale's uncle:  once Dale had died, it was as if they had both undergone a significant change in personality.  Both of them, in their own way, still mourned for him, just like he did.

 

Vic walked over and shut the gate behind him as he turned to watch True Blue grazing several feet away.  "Hard to tell," he decided.  "Sometimes a horse doesn't want to be tamed.  Sometimes they _shouldn't_ be tamed." 

 

"But Dale could always handle him - and you can, too," Justin pointed out, just a little disappointed that he couldn't do the same.  "I wonder why he won't let ME near him."

 

Vic shook his head.  "I wish I knew," he told him as he placed a hand on his shoulder.  "It may have to remain one of life's great mysteries."  He smiled.  "We'd best be getting your own horse into the trailer, Justin.  I'll be heading out with him to the track shortly." 

 

Justin nodded, feeling his heartbeat quickening.  He knew if Vic was going to leave shortly, that meant that Brian should be here soon, too.  "Is Brian meeting you and Em here at the stables?" he couldn't help asking, even though he cringed a little at the tone of anticipation in his voice.

 

Em's eyes widened.  "Brian's coming with us?" 

 

Vic nodded.  "Don't ask me how, but his uncle gave him the okay to come with us to the race."  He would have loved to have been involved with THAT conversation.  He was still astounded that Will had been persuaded to let Brian go out to the track.  But looking at the pleased look on Justin's face, he was glad that he agreed to it.  "I'll be over at Headstrong's stall," he told the two boys who nodded.

 

Emmett grinned over at Justin like a fool as he saw Brian approaching from behind him. 

 

"What?" Justin asked.  "I had nothing to do with it."

 

His friend's smile became even wider as he told him with a tilt of his head, "Well, then, I guess you won't care about who's coming over here right now." 

 

Justin could feel his heart thumping in his chest; it was close to the way he always feels during the exhilaration of a race, but not quite.  It was more than that.

 

"Well, I think I'll go see if Uncle Vic needs any help," Em decided suddenly.  He smiled at Justin and winked at him before he turned and walked toward the stables just as Justin heard a familiar, melodic voice sound behind him.

 

"Hey."

 

He turned around to look at Brian, resplendent in a pair of snug-fitting, black, stone-washed jeans, a black, short-sleeved shirt with white trim and faint, gray pinstripes, silver belt buckle and black leather boots.  For a brief moment, he wondered if it had been such a good idea having this big a distraction sitting up in the stands watching him, but he wouldn't have missed sharing this experience with him for the world as he smiled back at him.  "Hey, yourself.  Vic told me your uncle gave you the okay to come.  I have to admit I'm a little shocked." 

 

Brian quirked one side of his mouth up wryly.  "That makes two of us," he told him.  "But I got up as soon as their fucking rooster started that damn crowing at 5 a.m. to start doing my chores to try and get into his good graces.  And have you ever milked a cow before it's even light out?  It's damn cold in there...And I found out Checkers doesn't like being awakened from her beauty sleep." 

 

Justin giggled; Brian was beginning to sound more and more like he had always lived here.  He wasn't about to mention that, though.  "You're becoming a true cowboy now, Brian," he told him with a grin.  "And a pretty good-looking one at that."  He couldn't help ogling the way that Brian's jeans molded to his body like a glove.

 

Brian waggled his eyebrows as he walked closer.  "Think so, huh?  Just 'pretty good'?" 

 

Justin smiled over at him shyly until he could find his voice to simply say, "Yeah, well, maybe more than that."

 

Brian's eyes swept over the form-fitting, satiny outfit Justin was wearing.  It had to be custom made by looking at how well it fit him, and the colors were quite flattering to his skin and his eyes.  "I could say the same thing about you," he murmured appreciatively as his eyes lifted to meet Justin's.  "Ironic how you're the artist, because it almost looks like someone painted that on _you._ I didn't realize until now what I've been missing not being able to see you race," he told him huskily.  "You look hot in that." He curled his lips under and leered at him. 

 

Justin blushed deeply.  "I'm...I'm glad you like it.  It was made especially for me to race in," he confirmed.  "All the drivers have them done; it helps give them a little bit of an edge speed wise when they race." 

 

Brian nodded only half-listening; he was too busy staring at his beautiful lover.  _Lover._ After yesterday, that had taken on a whole new meaning.  After getting his first taste yesterday, he knew he was going to have an insatiable appetite when it came to this particular boy. 

 

Justin cleared his throat, noticing his father emerging from the back of the house.  "I...I'd better get going," he told Brian reluctantly.  "My dad's going to be here any minute, and he always gets antsy to get going on race day as soon as my mom comes out." 

 

"Brian!" Vic called out just then, finishing hitching up the horse trailer to the pickup now that he had Headstrong inside; Justin and his parents would be towing the sulky behind their own vehicle.  "We're ready to go!" he told him as Brian nodded.

 

"Well, I would say break a leg," he said with a smile.  "But in this case, that's probably not wise."

 

Justin grinned.  "No - break a leg and horses don't go very well together in the same sentence."  His face turned regretful then; he had just seen Brian again after what happened between them yesterday, and now they had to say goodbye already.  He knew it was going to be wonderful knowing Brian was up in the stands rooting for him today, but he also knew it would be hours before he would have the chance to see him again alone.  "Uh - I'd better get going; and Vic and Em are waiting for you, too."

 

"Yeah," Brian whispered in disappointment, glancing over to make sure that Justin's father wasn't noticing them yet.  Not wanting to press his luck or take a chance, however, he abruptly gripped Justin's wrist and tugged him over beside a large tree trunk, out of view of everyone else.

 

"Brian..."

 

"Shh...I just wanted to wish you luck today; although I'm sure you won't need it."  He pulled Justin into his arms and plastered his lips against his, hearing a slight gasp of surprise escape the full, luscious lips of the other boy as his tongue slid out to take full advantage of his opportunity.  He smiled against their kiss as Justin's free hand slid around his neck to pull him even closer.  Only the sound of Justin's impatient father calling for him managed to rouse them from their embrace a few seconds later as Justin hesitantly pulled away. 

 

"I...I have to go," he told Brian, slightly out of breath and panting softly.  "I'll see you later?" 

 

Brian nodded in assurance, a wistful smile on his face as he stared back, mesmerized as usual, at his companion.  "You bet.  We'll have our own, private celebration later - _after_ you win." He winked at him as he let go, Justin flushing at the thought.

 

He nodded with a smile before slipping out from under the tree, grateful that Brian remained hidden where he was.  His father seemed more congenial lately, but he suspected he was still wary of his and Brian's relationship.  Calling over to his father, he hurried over to his place by the stables.

 

"There you are," his father replied in relief as he glanced around the area where Justin had come from; sure enough, just as Justin feared, he appeared to be looking for something - or someone.  Apparently not seeing anything, however, his father turned his attention back to him.  "All set?" he asked as Justin nodded.

 

"Yeah, I'm coming," he told him as his father turned to go.

 

"Your mom's on her way out," he reported as he placed his hand on Justin's shoulder.  "We'd better get going." 

 

Justin nodded, stealing a glance backward as they walked together, thinking he saw just a glimpse of Brian's profile before they turned the corner of the stable and he was out of sight.

 

* * *

_Same Time - Across Town_

 

Doug Kesterson took another drag from the marijuana joint, feeling the smoothness slide down his throat as he sat with his back against the bottom of the couch, his feet crossed at the ankles.  A box of half-eaten, cold delivery pizza was lying beside him as the shaggy, blond-haired teen asked, "So how much are you putting on your brother today?"

 

From his place next to him, Jared snorted.  "What the fuck makes you think I'd be betting on HIM to win?" 

 

Doug rolled his eyes as he passed the joint over to his friend.  "Well, maybe because he's the odds-on favorite today like every other race?"  He eyed his friend carefully.  "Just what happened to get you kicked out of your house yesterday, anyway?  Just because the two of you got into it again?  Hell, that happens all the time."  His friend was always griping about how he and Justin were constantly squabbling over something.  All he knew this time was that Jared had called him up early yesterday morning before he was even out of bed to ask if he could crash with him, at least for a few days.  He had been decidedly glum and curt on the way back to his apartment, only issuing an occasional grunt or shrug of his shoulders when he had tried to ask him some questions.  He figured that now that it had been over 24 hours - and they were both feeling nice and mellow after smoking some of the joint - that perhaps his friend would finally open up to him.  "Well?" he prodded.

 

Jared sighed, not sure how much he wanted to tell Doug, even if he WAS his best friend.  The whole episode was still pretty embarrassing, and a vast blow to his normally healthy ego.   "I don't want to talk about it," he finally grumbled as he took another toke of the weed and exhaled before handing it back to Doug. 

 

"Aw, come on, Jared!  I _know_ you!  There's no way your old man would have kicked you out of the house unless it was something really bad.  Did it have to do with that hot guy that lives next door?  You two didn't go out and steal a car or something, did you?"  He knew he had hit on at least the partial truth as he noticed Jared bristling and his face turning red.  "Oh, shit!  Did you?"  Jared had told him quite a bit about Brian Kinney - how 'smokin' hot he was, how he had been sent to live next door at his aunt and uncle's house due to some legal infractions back home involving car theft and drag racing, and how he had been a great lay.  Of course, he had no way of knowing that was a blatant lie; Jared wouldn't have dared tell him that Kinney had turned him down.  The worst part of all, though, was getting rejected for his younger brother.

 

"No!" he growled.  "We didn't steal a fucking car!  I don't NEED to steal one, remember?  I already have one I'm working on in the barn." Well, he _did_ , anyway, before his father made him leave. 

 

Doug took another toke before he asked, "Then what, Taylor?  Come on, tell me!  I'm letting you live here, remember?" 

 

Jared sighed as he debated just how much to divulge - and how to make himself appear as the wounded one.  "It _did_ have to do with Kinney," he began, his mind working furiously as Doug nodded with fascinated interest.  "But it wasn't anything illegal - unless you call cradle robbing a crime." 

 

Doug furrowed his brow in confusion.  "Cradle robbing?"

 

Jared nodded as he reached over to retrieve his half-finished beer bottle and take a large swig before putting it back down.  "Yeah...seems my little brother has become infatuated with Kinney.   And when I refused to bottom for the asshole, he went after someone more convenient who _would_." 

 

Doug's eyes grew large.  "No shit."  Jared nodded.  "Man, surely Kinney knew you would never bottom for _anyone_." 

 

"I know," Jared agreed as he wiped his lips with the back of his tee-shirt sleeve.  "He was dreaming; it was never going to happen."  He shrugged.  "So I told him it was his loss and to leave," he added.

 

Doug shook his head.  "But I still don't get why that would make your old man kick you out. Seems to me that Justin should have been the one in trouble, not you - or at least Kinney, for fooling around with him."

 

"Yeah," Jared replied, his jaw clenched as he recalled how he was summarily dismissed like yesterday's garbage.  "Well, my brother's a good liar.  He claimed that I had started a fight with Kinney at the town social, and our father believed him over me."

 

"What?!  Why?" 

 

The words began to tumble out now, one lie after the other.  "Because the little squirt was interested in Kinney himself, I told you, and he was jealous that he was showing ME attention at the social that night instead.  After I told Brian before that I wouldn't bottom for him, he came up to me at the midway and was trying to hook up with me again.  He said he would do _anything_ to be with me, and that he was sorry he had turned me down," he told his friend smugly.  He snorted.  "Guess he realized that Justin would be just a poor substitute.  But I wasn't interested by then," Jared claimed as he smirked.  "I don't do repeats - and once he turned me down after he gave me a blowjob, he wasn't getting another chance with me." 

 

"Good for you," Doug praised him.  "But that still doesn't explain what happened," he pressed.  "Why did the two of you get into a fight then?" 

 

Jared paused for a moment to organize his thoughts before explaining, "I caught Kinney roughhousing with my brother out back behind the building.  Looked like after I rejected him, he was trying to force Justin to do something that he didn't want to do.  I saw Justin push him away and then take off toward the back door to go inside, no doubt to get away from him.  Kinney started following him, and I rushed after him to make sure Justin didn't get hurt."  His friend arched one eyebrow at him questioningly as he explained, "Hey, he drives me nuts, but he's still my brother."  Doug nodded as he went on to explain, "I caught up with him inside near the bandstand and we had words.  I wound up punching him out," he bragged, thoroughly caught up in the lie now.  "I found out he's not much of a fighter, too; had him down on the ground in no time." 

 

Doug laughed. "I would have loved to have seen that! But that still..."

 

"I'm getting to it," Jared hastily continued.  "Well, my father saw the whole thing and felt like I had embarrassed the shit out of him by getting into a fight in front of everyone.  And then that idiot nephew of Vic's - you know, our handyman?"  Doug nodded as Jared added, "Well, his nephew who's staying with him for a few weeks was at the social, too, and came over to our house after everything had happened and tried to act like it was all _my_ fault somehow!"  He shook his head in disgust, playing his part to the hilt now as he got his second wind. 

 

"What the fuck, Jared?  What did he say?" 

 

Jared laughed derisively as he stole the weed back from his friend's hand to take another puff.  "Get this!  He told them that I was going around spreading rumors that Kinney was beating up on Justin and trying to force himself on him because _I was jealous and wanted him back!_   What a crock of bullshit!" he growled.  He let out a heavy breath.  "But it was me against my brother and Vic's nephew; even Vic made up some lies and agreed with him, probably because it was family."  He handed the joint back to Doug as he brushed his hand through his hair.  "Who knows?  All I know is my father said he was tired of dealing with all the drama and didn't need all this 'distraction' right before the race today.  And since Justin does all the racing in the family, guess who had to take the fall?   Good, old Dad wasn't about to let his bread ticket slip through his fingers!  So here I am, living in the lap of luxury," he concluded as he laughed, but it was a hollow, derisive laugh.  "Sitting here, smoking weed with you and sleeping on your rat-infested couch."    

 

"Hey..."

 

Jared shook his head.  "I'm just kidding with you," he assured him as he let out a heavy sigh.  "I appreciate what you did; I still can't believe it, though." 

 

"Damn, that sucks big time!" Doug growled, his eyes blazing with indignation.  "I can't believe your Dad took his word - and that other guy's - over yours." 

 

"Yeah, me, neither."  He handed the joint back over to his friend as he stood up with his beer and took another swig.  "And I don't even have my fucking car to work on anymore, either; not unless I go back there with my tail between my legs, and I'm not going to do that.  I did nothing wrong." 

 

"Maybe it'll all blow over in a few days."

 

Jared turned around to peer down at his friend.  "Doesn't matter.  Even if my father _begged_ me to come home now, I wouldn't.  It's too late."  He bit his lower lip in thought.  "I have to figure out a way to get some money coming in.  I might go down and talk to Scooter and see if he needs a mechanic at the gas station."  Scooter was the father of one of his former high school classmates who owned the only gas station in town. 

 

"Maybe. But even HE uses one of those analysis computers for repairs.  And he's ASE certified.  Even if he DID hire you, you'd probably wind up doing mostly oil changes and being the cashier." 

 

"Gee, thanks for that fucking testimonial, Kesterson; I really appreciate that," Jared retorted, knowing deep down that his friend was probably right.  At least if he _did_ get a job there, though, he might be able to use one of the spare berths to work on his car that he had to leave back home.  That hurt worst of all.  Without his car to work on, he felt like he was almost missing one of his arms.  "So what do YOU suggest, genius?   I'm not going to apologize for something I didn't do."

 

"I didn't say you should.  But you still need some money coming in to live on, even if you ARE going to stay with me.  So...For _now_ , we're heading down to the race track."

 

"Are you out of your fucking mind?  I just got through telling you..."

 

"I know what you told me!" Doug responded curtly.  "But where else can we make some quick cash?  There're other drivers who might win today, you know; look at Robbie Andrews.  He's almost won the last couple of times."

 

Jared snorted.  "The key word is _almost_.  He was at least three lengths back last time, and you know it." 

 

Doug extinguished the cigarette in a glass ashtray on the floor next to him before he stood up to join his friend.  "Well, even if he places, we'll get some money back." 

 

Jared huffed in disbelief.  "Did you see the odds in the paper yesterday? He's barely at 4-1."

 

"Well, that's a better payout than if your brother wins."

 

"I know; that's what I'm saying!  There's no reason why he _won't_ win.  We'll be throwing our money away, and I have fucking little of that to begin with."

 

"Come on, Jared! Take a chance!  It's time somebody knocked your brother down a peg. He can't keep winning forever.  Besides, what else do we have to do today?  We always go...And not just to bet on the asses out on the track, either." 

 

Jared couldn't help smirking over that; unbeknownst to most of the strait-laced patrons who attended the harness races, the Red Mill was a great way to find at least a decent fuck in either the bathrooms or around back under the grandstands. The bleachers where everyone sat weren't the _only_ things that were 'exposed' at the race track; plenty of queers presented their fetching wares to other queers out back under the grandstand while the horses were racing.   He _was_ feeling particularly tense in light of everything that had happened, and apart from the booze and the weed, there was only one other way to alleviate that problem.

 

He shrugged.  "What the fuck?  Let's go." 

 

* * *

 

Wiping her hands on her apron, Sarah walked over to the barn's doors, hearing the sound of metal rapping on metal.  Carrying the plastic, oval platter with a pitcher and two glasses of lemonade, she approached her husband and sat down quietly on a nearby bale of straw, carefully placing the platter down on another bale beside her.

 

Sensing her presence, Will stopped banging on the tractor with his wrench and set it down on the dirt floor beside him, wiping his brow with the back of his hand.  "Piece of junk," he muttered.

 

"No luck?" she asked him softly as she poured some of the cold lemonade into a plastic glass and handed it to him.  Nodding at her gratefully, he took a large gulp of it first.

 

"No," he admitted.  "I can't even get the spark plug pulled out to look at it, much less clean it off."  He shook his head.  "How come whenever Brian gets on it, it starts right up?" 

 

She smiled.  "Maybe he just has a magic touch," she decided.  Her smile faded a little as she added, "By the way, I think you did the right thing by letting him go to the races today.  He's been cooped up in this house for so long that I think it might do him some good."  She paused.  "And I think he really wanted to see Justin race.  I remember he's pretty amazing on a horse..."

 

Will held up his hand.  "I don't want to discuss racing, Sarah. You know my feelings on that.  It's in the past; let's keep it that way, okay?" 

 

Sarah took a deep breath; she knew what the likely response to her question would be, but she had to ask it anyway.  "Just like Dale, you mean?"  Her suspicions were confirmed immediately as she observed her husband's face darken. 

 

"Damn it, Sarah!  What did I just say?"  He growled as he glared over at her.  But beneath the anger there, Sarah could see something else as well:  hurt and pain. 

 

"You told me not to talk about racing. Okay.  But that wasn't all our son did, though, Will.  Should I forget about _him_ , too?"  Her husband was stonily silent as he turned to stare out the open barn door, lost in thought.  "Well?  Will, talk to me, for God's sake.  Should I? Is that what you want?"  Her eyes filled with tears.  She knew she would never do that no matter what he said.  She simply couldn't.  She wiped some wetness away from her cheeks as she sniffled softly.

 

Will sighed heavily, his anger dissipating as he felt his wife's sorrow.  He reached inside his overall pocket to locate his handkerchief as he turned to reach over and gently wipe some of the tears away from her cheeks with it.  "Of course I don't, Woman," he replied with mock gruffness.  "You know that." 

 

"Do I?" she whispered painfully.  "Will, I know how much you loved him..."

 

"More than my own life," he replied, his voice breaking as he looked away.  "That boy was my world...along with you," he assured her as he peered back at her.  "If I could have taken his place..." He pursed his lips together firmly, feeling the pinch of tears behind his own eyes; but he was not going to cry. It wasn't his way.  "It all happened so fast, so very fast," he murmured finally as his mind went back to that day.  "When he waved to us, he looked so happy.  He was going to win again, Sarah.  Just like he did every time; I knew it. But you know what?  I would have traded anything, I would have done anything in my power; I wouldn't have even cared if he was _cleaning up_ after the horses rather than racing them, if I could only have even one more day with him now."  He exhaled a shaky breath, his fingers not even feeling the cold, wet condensation encircling the lemonade glass that he gripped tightly in his hand.

 

"Don't you think I feel the same way, William?" she asked him curtly as he lifted his eyes to peer into hers.  "But he's gonel.  He's not coming back.  And I know it still hurts even after all this time.  But not talking about him and refusing to even say his name out loud won't change things.  I want to remember our son when he was _alive_ , Will.  I want to be able to take his photos out and look at them; to look at his trophies that he won, to reminisce about the good times we had together as a family.  He was so proud of what he had accomplished, not just in racing but in school, in Boy Scouts, in his swimming meets.  Horses weren't the only thing he had a passion for.  And no one else can understand all of that except _you._   Don't you think it's finally time to start remembering him when he was alive instead of his death?" 

 

She smiled over at him sadly as he sighed mournfully.  "Will, I know that you will never forget our son.  But I think it's time that we start moving forward and think about happy memories of him, not all this sadness." 

 

Will swallowed hard, the lancing pain still ever present in his heart.  But he knew deep down that his wife was correct.  Nothing would bring him back to them.  But perhaps, just perhaps, it would be cathartic to do as Sarah says - to remember some of the good times with him. And there had been a LOT of good times.  For that, at least, he would always be eternally grateful.  He looked into his wife's eyes as he smiled slightly.  "You know...He had the goofiest smile of anyone I have ever seen.  I think it was because he had that one, crooked tooth..."

 

She smiled warmly at the memory.  "Yeah...that one in the upper right side of his mouth that he never would let the dentist pull.  He called it his..."

 

"...Lucky tooth," Will replied as she nodded.  "Said he only started winning after we threatened to take him to Doc Kesterson to have it taken out.  I remember."  His smile became a little wider as he recalled with a grimace, "For a while, I thought he was going to name True Blue after it.  But I told him that "Lucky Tooth" didn't sound too impressive to me for a race horse."  He grunted.  "Would have probably given the announcer fits, too, when he announced the winners."

 

She grinned.  "Probably.  Although I've certainly heard worse."  Her husband used to take perverse pleasure in pointing out the exotic, if not downright ridiculous names that some owners named their horses as he looked over the morning newspaper's betting page prior to one of Dale's races.  At least their son had had the common sense to name his horse after the town's favorite basketball team instead of an upper molar.   

 

Will nodded.  "Yeah."  He sighed. "Those _were_ good times with him, Sarah.  Weren't they?" 

 

She reached over to twine her fingers with his as she replied softly, "Yes, they were." 

 

Will studied the hand in his, listening to the comforting, familiar sounds around them that he knew so well:  the occasional, low moo from Checkers nearby with her calf, seemingly getting bigger by the day, the chickens in the coop just outside the barn, softly clucking as they scrounged for food in the dirt, the calls of several varieties of wild birds that enjoyed visiting their bird feeder and bird bath daily, and the faraway, excited bark of Solomon, who was no doubt up in the woods on his daily jaunt like he always was - before he scampered back home just before dark for his evening supper.  In a lot of ways, everything was much the same that it had been when Dale had been alive - all except for one, very important piece.  But he knew there was no going back; his wife was right.

 

"Sarah?" he called to his wife as he turned his attention back to her.

 

"Yes, Will?" she asked quietly, her voice tinged with just a bit of hope.

 

He smiled at her.  "Do you know where our film projector is?  The one that shows the old 8 mm movies?" 

 

Her eyes glistened as she nodded, realizing instantly what that meant; it was much more than her husband wanting to relive old times.  "Yes, it's down in the basement."

 

He nodded.  "Well, when Brian gets home from the race later today, I'd like to set it up.  I think it's time that he meets his cousin and some of his other kinfolk...don't you?"  He clucked softly as he noticed his wife's face.  "Now don't be starting up with the waterworks again, Missy," he gently scolded her.  "I just thought it might be a good way to pass the time, that's all.  Don't go making too much out of it."  She wisely nodded in agreement.  "And maybe we can break from our normal healthier eating tonight and have some of your leftover blackberry cobbler with some homemade, vanilla ice cream.  Think we have all the ingredients on hand for that?"

 

She squeezed her husband's hand.  "Yeah, I'm sure we do...And I can't think of a better reason." 

 

He nodded once more.  "Well, then, let me be for a while.  I'm going to try and coax this rattletrap machine into starting if it's the last thing I do." 

 

"Yes, sir," she whispered as she stood up to leave, studying her husband's proud profile as he turned around and picked up his wrench to try again.  She leaned down to kiss her husband on his cheek before, with one last squeeze of his hand, she let go.  "I'll get everything ready." She stood there watching him, her heart just a little lighter, before she quietly turned and exited the barn.

 

* * *

_Same Time at Red Mill..._

"What are you doing back here?" Jared hissed at his friend in alarm; he had been looking for Doug for the past 45 minutes in the quickly burgeoning crowd now filling up the stands.  He had looked everywhere else - ever since they had arrived and Doug had excused himself to go to the restroom - but after he didn't come back to join him near the grandstand he had finally started out on his own to find him.  He would have never expected him to be back here near the stables, however.  "You want my Dad to see us here?" 

 

Doug shrugged.  "What's the big deal?  He's not _my_ keeper - or yours.  He made that clear when he kicked your ass out - thanks to your brother." 

 

"Don't remind me," Jared retorted, the sting of being thrown out of his own home still fresh in his mind.  "But no one's supposed to be back here unless they have a pass.  And I don't want to wind up with my ass in jail tonight, so let's get going before my father sees me, okay?" 

 

"Yeah," Dale groused.  "I bet your bratty little brother would just love that."  He turned around to begin following Jared, only to pull up short as they passed one of the horse stalls and a shiny plaque attached to the wall caught his eye.  He couldn't help walking over to take a peek at it as his eyes widened in disbelief.  "What the fuck...Would you look at this?" he sneered as Jared walked up to stand beside him, recognizing the closest stall as the one that Dale's horse used to occupy when he was on the racing circuit.  "When did they put THIS up?  They have a fucking memorial to him now?  Shit!  If I didn't know better, I'd think he was a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame or the Grand Old Opry, instead of a horse jockey who just happened to get lucky!  Can you fucking believe this?!" 

 

He shook his head, his mouth agape in astonishment as he read the inscription on the bronze-colored plaque. It was approximately two feet by two feet square, with a raised likeness of Dale riding True Blue at the top and a lengthy description of his feats at the track beneath it, along with a short description detailing his untimely death three years ago.  At the bottom of the plaque was a synopsis of his impressive winning stats while he had been on the harness racing circuit.  Except for two races at the very beginning of his career, he had won every other race he and his horse had ever entered. 

 

Jared skimmed over the shiny surface with his fingers, reading the extensive report about Dale's racing record.  He had to admit - the likeness of his friend and True Blue on the plaque was uncanny, and it brought a lot of old memories to the surface.  He and Dale had been close friends back then; he had always enjoyed being in Dale's company.  He was very intelligent, witty, and athletic, and had a good head on his shoulders and was very responsible; but he also had a fun-loving, free-wheeling spirit to him, also.  They used to take ATVs up into the mountains at breakneck speed, or climb up on one of the ramrod straight trees that ringed his family's swimming hole to see which one of them could dive from the highest perch.  Typically, Dale won that challenge; he was always a little more of a daredevil than he was when it came to heights.

 

The two of them had spent many nights lounging under the inky, star-filled sky, drunk and high as kites as they tried out Dale's latest batch of hooch that he had concocted from a makeshift still that was kept in a secluded corner of the Walker's storage shed.  Both of them suspected that Dale's father knew all along about the still, but chose to overlook it, probably viewing it as some harmless, teenage rite of passage.  And Dale's father would have never even realized that the sickly-sweet aroma he was smelling from time to time was the distinctive aroma of a good batch of weed that he had managed to snag from one of the boys at school and was sharing with Dale behind the barn.  Yeah, those had been good memories...

 

"He always thought he was so much better than the rest of us," Doug brusquely stated beside him, interrupting his thoughts. 

 

Jared frowned as he turned to face his friend.  "I never thought that," he told him quietly.  "He was a pretty decent guy." 

 

"He was full of himself," Doug countered.  "He thought he was above us."

 

"Where did you get _that_ from?"

 

"Well, he turned YOU down, didn't he?  I guess after he won all that money, he figured he could buy any guy he wanted then." 

 

Jared shook his head.  "Yeah, he DID turn me down," he admitted, remembering he had mentioned it to Doug not too long before Dale's last race here.  And he had been plenty hurt about it at the time, too, at least temporarily.  The two of them had already been solid friends before, but one night after they had tried out Dale's latest concoction and smoked some high-quality weed and he was feeling mellow and emboldened, he had propositioned his friend, only to find out that he was straight as an arrow. Dale had never really mentioned girlfriends before - and he had never seen any girls out at the Walker farm - so he had just naturally assumed he swung the other way - _his_ way.  He had been sorely mistaken, however, discovering that Dale was just inexplicably, painfully shy when it came to members of the opposite sex, despite his popularity and fame, and he had wound up with a slightly bruised ego that night as well as a painfully hard boner. But it was only fleeting; he couldn't blame Dale for that.

 

He blinked as he came back to the present and looked over at his friend.  "Yeah, he turned me down," he repeated.  "But it was because he was straight, man.  It wasn't anything personal." 

 

Doug harrumphed.  "Well, I still say he was conceited.  He kept talking about buying some fancy horse farm in town with all his winnings - like he was throwing it all in our face." 

 

"No, no, that's not it at all," Jared explained.  "He wanted to use his money to buy that beat-up, old dilapidated farm the Simpsons used to own on the other side of town - the one that had all the land with it?"  Doug grudgingly nodded.  "He wanted to buy it so he could fix it up and use it as a training facility for harness drivers.  That was his goal eventually - to show others how to succeed on the circuit like he had."

 

"So what happened to all his money after he died?" Doug pointed out.  "I didn't see his parents getting rich off all his winnings." 

 

"They didn't," Jared reported as he glanced around uneasily, knowing every second they stayed there was risky.  "After he died, they only kept enough to help with the funeral expenses and then gave the rest to charity.  His old man couldn't bear to touch any of his money after he died." 

 

"How grandiose of them," Doug quipped sarcastically.

 

Jared stared at his friend in confusion.  He had never heard such bitterness toward Dale and his family from his former schoolmate; he had never realized how envious he had been of him.  Where had this come from?  He didn't have a lot of time to consider it, however, as he spotted his father at the far end of the stables.  "We've got to get out of here!" he told him urgently as he grabbed Doug's arm.  "There's my dad!  Let's go!" 

 

"Okay, okay," Doug grumbled as the two of rushed toward the other end of the stables, just in time to avoid being detected. 

 

* * *

 

"Whew, that was close," Jared exclaimed as they stood just inside the main entrance a short time later.  "Let's go place our bets; the race should be starting soon."  He dug into his pockets to find the last twenty he had.  "I hope this is a lucky one," he murmured.  "You still planning on betting on Robbie Andrews to win?  I still say Justin's going to beat him today."

 

"Naw...not a chance," Doug told him, sounding distinctly self-assured.  "I'm telling you!  Your brother is finally going to see some competition today. Bet it all on Andrews to win; it's a sure thing." 

 

Jared eyed him doubtfully, but the idea of his brother finally going down to defeat provided him with a certain sense of self-satisfaction, so he finally nodded.  "Okay," he told him as the two of them headed toward the betting windows.  "You'd better be right about this; this is my last twenty, man." 

 

"It's a done deal," Doug told him confidently with a smile.  "We're going to eat good tonight."

 

Jared laughed as he followed his friend to the nearest booth and placed his bet.


	20. Head over Heels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin prepares to run his latest race as Brian watches from the sidelines, both unaware of danger simmering under the surface...

_One Hour before the Race..._

Brian surveyed the bustling grandstand in awe.  Nearly every seat was already filled, even though the first race wouldn't be for almost another hour.  He had to admit; he had been a little skeptical about whether this sort of event would hold his interest, but there was an exciting energy to the place.  He watched as several jockeys; no, _drivers_ , he recalled Justin saying, led their horses around the perimeter of the track in practice; others were either grooming them or just standing next to them as they conversed with each other.  He strained his neck in hopes of seeing Justin, but to his disappointment, so far he hadn't seen any sign of him.  The smell of cigarette smoke, boiled peanuts, beer, and various concession stand items filled the stands.  He wrinkled his nose at the pungent aroma of what smelled like horse dung mixed in with all the other smells.  Not surprising, though; everywhere you looked there were stables housing horse after horse and trailers of every make and model.

 

His eyes finally settled on a trailer with the name " _Windswept Farm"_ written on it in script letters, and his heart skipped a beat.  It was parked next to one of the stables, so obviously Justin must be nearby somewhere.

 

 

 

"Can't go back there without a pass," Vic replied quietly beside him; Emmett had gone in search of some fried pickles, one of his guilty pleasures, after pecan pie, anyway.  Brian had looked at him aghast at the mere thought, but Honeycutt had merely offered him a silly sort of grin and shrugged before he scampered off in search of his prize.

 

He turned to look over at the older man with a frown.  "What did you say?"

 

Vic smiled.  "If you want to see him, you'll need one of these or they won't let you back there."  He reached inside his pants pocket to retrieve a rectangular-sized, laminated piece of bright orange paper, with the

words ' _Stable Entry Pass'_ written on it.  He handed it to Brian as he nodded his head toward the trailer.  "Headstrong's in the 4th stall on the right."  Brian hesitated for a moment, not wanting to get Justin into trouble or make him nervous by his presence.  He also wasn't sure how Justin's father would react to him hovering around him just before the race.

 

"Well, go on," Vic prodded him.  "I'm sure he'd like to see you before he races. And...If you are thinking about his father, well, he has this long-standing superstition about not being back at the stables beforehand.  He spends his time before the race in the grandstand clubhouse with Jennifer.  You can set your clock by him; he will be out precisely fifteen minutes before the race, and will walk over to his reserved seat over by the finish line.  So you don't have to worry about him."  He winked.  "I'll even save your seat for you.  You won't want to miss Justin in his element."

 

"I'm not worried about his father," Brian told him gruffly.  Secretly, though, that was precisely his concern, not so much for him but for Justin.  He didn't want to make things harder for him. On the other hand, he wasn't about to stop seeing Justin, either, no matter _what_ his father thought about their relationship.

 

Trusting that Vic knew what he was talking about - and wanting badly to see his lover - Brian nodded as he rose from his seat ten rows up and proceeded down the concrete aisle to the ground level.  It took him a few minutes - including some tense seconds as the armed, uniformed security guard studied his pass before motioning him through - before he headed into the straw-covered stable toward the fourth stall on the right.  As he neared his target, he noticed a plaque hanging up close by, and stopped for just a few seconds to read the inscription, surprised to realize it was about his cousin, Dale.  He was suitably impressed by his cousin's track record and his accomplishments; apparently, he had been quite a formidable competitor.  His main attention, however, was drawn to the familiar voice he could hear from several feet away as he smiled in recognition, his pulse quickening as he approached Headstrong's stall.  A simple, wooden bench was perched just beside the stall door, with a couple of water bottles sitting on top next to Justin's helmet.

 

"That's it," Justin was cooing to Headstrong.  "You're looking good, Boy.  You're going to do just fine today," he was saying softly.  "That's my pretty boy."

 

Brian pursed his lips together to keep from laughing as he walked up to the stall gate and peered inside.  Justin had his back to him as he petted the majestic-looking animal and whispered encouraging words to him; he could hear Headstrong chuffing softly as Justin spoke. Apparently, his lover had a magical effect on all _kinds_ of male species.

 

Justin turned around as he heard the stall gate squeaking a few seconds later, and his face lit up into a surprised but delighted smile.  "Brian! How did you get _back_ here?"

 

Brian closed the stall gate behind him as he walked up and slid his arms around the smooth, satiny fabric of Justin's racing uniform, linking his arms around the small of Justin's back.  "Vic gave me his pass to use," he explained as Justin nodded.  The two of them automatically moved closer together, Justin's arms sliding around Brian's neck as the two of them kissed, their lips parting so tongues could tangle to taste each other's unique essence.  A soft sigh of contentment escaped Justin's lips as Brian angled his head to deepen the kiss, his hands slowly traveling up and down Justin's back.

 

Brian's hands were flat against the younger boy's back and felt hot against the thin, slick fabric as their bodies ground together; he had to bite back a moan of his own as his dick twitched in response to the sensation of denim on satin.  Finally, with great reluctance, he broke off the kiss to stare into Justin's eyes, eyes that continued to captivate and enthrall him.  "I just wanted to see you before you raced. I know you're going to do great out there today," he told Justin earnestly as he lightly held him in his arms, his voice soft but confident as he smiled at him.

 

Justin beamed, blushing in response as he replied, "Thanks.  I still get nervous before each race, though.  You never know what's going to happen out there."

 

Brian's face clouded over for just an instant; he didn't want to think about something going wrong.  He had to be positive, for both him as well as Justin.  "Nothing's going to go wrong, Hot Shot. You've got your lucky charm here with you today, after all."

 

Justin's eyes widened as if in surprise before he smiled.  "How did you know?" he asked as he reached inside his pocket and retrieved a small rabbit's foot on a beaded keychain and waved it in front of him playfully.

 

Brian laughed.  "Not that, you asshole!  _Me_!"  He curled his lips under as Justin nodded with a smile.

 

"Ohhh, how could I forget that?" he deadpanned with a grin.  He paused for a second before he told Brian, "I knew what you meant, you idiot!  And just for the record, you ARE my lucky charm.  You were from the start.  Well, _almost_ from the start, at least once we got past a few things."

 

Brian snorted as Justin grinned back at him impishly.  "Well, I'm glad we took care of those _issues_ ," he told him. He couldn't help smiling over at him softly, however, as he informed him, "I'll be sitting about ten rows up in the center section with Vic - and Honeycutt."  He grimaced.  "He was gone when I left - something about going in search of fried pickles."

 

Justin laughed as his eyes lit up.  "I _love_ fried pickles!  I'll have to buy you one to sample out of my winnings after the race is over."

 

Brian looked horrified.  "Uh...no...Going to the town social and seeing all sorts of odd bake sale items being auctioned off was more than enough trauma for me."  He stared into Justin's beautiful face as he curled his lips under like a little boy and told him, "You _are_ right about one thing, though."

 

"Just one?" was the innocent-sounding reply. He yelped as Brian smacked him on one, satin-clad ass cheek.  "Hey!"

 

"You deserved that, you cheeky little shit," Brian told him.

 

"Well, you got the cheeky part of it right, anyway," Justin told him, clearly enjoying himself.

 

Brian harrumphed.  "Okay, just for that snarky comment...Never mind."

 

"No, tell me!" Justin begged, somehow needing to know what Brian was thinking.

 

Brian sighed.  "I was just going to tell you that you WILL have winnings when you get done; you just won't be using them for those disgusting, fried pickles."  He shuddered at the thought.  "At least not for me, anyway. And if you wind up eating some of those monstrosities yourself afterward, then..."  He left the sentence hanging.

 

"What?" Justin pressed as he squeezed the sides of Brian's waist to urge him to talk; surprised when the older boy actually giggled and flinched at his touch.  "Oh, my God!  You're so _ticklish!_ " he shrieked in mischievous delight as Brian grabbed his hands to stop him.  Justin laughed at the twisted look on his face.

 

"If you ever divulge that deep, dark secret to anyone, I will take your Jockey shorts and pull them down over your fucking face," Brian promised him.

 

Justin grinned with unconcern as Brian pulled him against him, locking their hands together behind Justin's back.  "You'll have to get them off me first," he replied with a sexy, little smile that made Brian's body tingle in anticipation of doing just that.  "Now let's see, what were you saying?" Justin asked innocently.  "Oh, yeah, if I eat fried pickles after I win today..."  He tilted his head expectantly.

 

"If you eat any fried pickles after you win today, don't expect me to kiss you until after you've brushed your teeth - and used mouthwash; twice," Brian firmly told him.

 

Justin shrugged.  "What makes you think I'd even _want_ to kiss you then?" he asked.  "I'll have tons of money after the race; I could find some _other_ guy to..."

 

Justin didn't get to finish his statement; one second later, he heard a sort of growl escape Brian's mouth as the other boy promptly plastered his lips against his to show him what he would be missing if he did.  He whimpered at the passion and intensity in that kiss as his fingers tightened their grip in Brian's clutch. He actually felt slightly dizzy in reaction, until at last Brian detached his lips from his with a decided popping noise.

 

He smirked over at him smugly.  "That's how I know," he told him simply, noting the dazed look on Justin's face and the sweat on his brow.  "First time someone's worked up a sweat just over me kissing them, though," he bragged as Justin snorted back at him.  He laughed as he reluctantly let him go, noticing Headstrong fidgeting behind them.  "Looks like someone's getting impatient."

 

"Don't be so damn cocky," Justin chided him.  "I can wait until after the race to kiss you again," he told him.

 

Brian guffawed.  "Not me; the _other_ male in the room." He indicated Headstrong with a nod of his head as Justin blushed.

 

"Oh," he said in realization.  "Yeah, he's normally out on the track by now, but _someone_ distracted his driver this time."

 

Brian shrugged with a grin.  "Admit it, Farm Boy.  It was so worth it - at least to _you_."

 

"So incredibly humble as always," Justin commented dryly.  He straightened out his clothing, now bunched up in intriguing places.  "Yeah," he admitted then.  "I think he minded it more than I did."  He reached to grab Headstrong's reins and his gloves lying nearby as the horse whinnied softly in anticipation, knowing what those gestures meant.  "I really do need to get him ready for the race, though," Justin explained.  "He still needs to be hooked up to the sulky."

 

"And YOU need to have time to inspect it thoroughly," Brian reminded him firmly, not willing to risk having anything happen to Justin like it had with his cousin.

 

"I have plenty of time," Justin assured him.  "And I always do a complete walk around to check it out, too, so it'll be fine," he informed him as Brian nodded in relief.

 

"Well..." Brian found that he hated to go; he thought Justin looked a little flushed as he stared over at him, but he thought it merely had to do with their 'pre-race' activities.  "I guess I'd better get back out there, then," he told him regretfully.  He _did_ fervently want to see Justin race; everyone that had spoken about it just raved about his skill and grace out on the track, and how he and Headstrong worked in tandem as a team so perfectly, and he couldn't wait at last to see it for himself.

 

Justin nodded back at him as Brian opened up the stall door, poking his head out to make sure that Craig wasn't making an unexpected guest appearance; he was relieved to see that apparently Vic knew what he had been talking about - there were a few drivers leading their horses outside, but no sign of either Justin's mother or father.

 

"Is the coast clear?" Justin asked amused in a stage whisper.

 

Brian rolled his eyes as he turned to look back at the other boy grinning at him.   "Yeah, your father is apparently still at the clubhouse; Vic clued me in earlier. Good thing he's so predictable."

 

Justin nodded as Brian held the stall door open to allow him to lead Headstrong out into the main aisle of the stables.  "Well, I'd better get going," Justin told him as Brian nodded.  "Oh, hand me my water, will you?" he asked Brian.

 

Brian nodded as he walked over to retrieve a half-full, plastic bottle of water. Handing it to Justin, he stared into his face.  "You sure you're feeling okay?" he asked him as Justin took a couple of big gulps of the liquid; he swallowed his desire as he watched the other boy's Adam's apple bob up and down against the pale, supple skin.

 

"Yeah," Justin told him as he wiped his mouth.  "Just nerves," he assured him.  "I always get a little tense just before it's time."  He took a deep breath before letting it out.  "I, uh, guess you'd better walk on ahead, just in case my father decides he wants to break from tradition today."

 

Brian nodded.  "Yeah.  We've just now reached the _'he's no longer wanting to kill me and he's tolerating me_ ' stage.  Better not press my luck, then."  Brian looked around furtively, glad that the horse partly obstructed everyone else's view. Leaning over, he gave Justin a quick kiss on the cheek as he whispered, "Go get 'em, Farm Boy.  I'll be up there watching you, so make it good."

 

Justin blushed as he nodded with a smile, feeling excited about Brian finally getting the chance to see him race.  "I'll see you afterward?" he asked softly.

 

"You bet," Brian told him before, with a quick squeeze of his shoulder, he murmured, "Count on it.  See you later."

 

"Later," Justin whispered back with a smile as Brian turned and slowly walked toward the front of the stables.  He turned around when he got to the end and, with one short wave, he headed out toward the grandstand.

 

"Come on, Big Fella," Justin told the horse as he watched Brian go.  "Time for us to show him what we've got."

 

Headstrong seemed to somehow understand him as he bobbed his head up and down seemingly in agreement as Justin laughed.

 

"Showoff."   His body charged with adrenalin, he felt another, brief flicker of dizziness wash over him.  He hadn't told Brian that he had experienced one other, similar episode about fifteen minutes ago before he showed up.  _What the fuck?_   He wiped his brow with his gloved hand and stood there for a moment until the feeling passed, before, pressing his hand against his forehead to try and shake off the odd feeling he had, he tightened his hold on Headstrong's reins and resumed his walk toward the track.

 

* * *

 

Vic nodded with a smile as Brian walked back up to join him.  "Find him okay?" He really didn't have to ask, though; he could somehow tell by the look on Brian's face that he had.

 

Brian nodded as he handed the pass back to him.  "Yeah.  Thanks," he murmured a little self-consciously. Was he that transparent when it came to Justin?  He supposed by this time he was.  He couldn't help it, though; there was just some quality about Justin that made him react to him, that made him want to be with him 24/7 and want to protect him.

 

Vic smiled.  "Glad to hear it.  How's he doing?"

 

"Seems  a little nervous," Brian reported. "But I noticed he's the odds-on favorite, at least according to the betting stats."

 

Vic nodded.  "He always is," he told him as he looked out onto the track to see Justin walking over to his sulky with Headstrong.  "He's quite the competitor, and he always has had an affinity, a natural instinct, for it.  It didn't take me long to pass on what I knew to him.  He took it and ran with it - and never looked back."

 

Brian followed his line of sight, his heart skipping a beat as he noticed Justin leading Headstrong over to their sulky to get ready.  "You mean since Dale died," he corrected him quietly as he turned to look at Vic.

 

Vic sighed.  "Yeah. That was a damn shame.  That kid was such a talented rider - and a nice boy to boot.  He didn't deserve to have what happened to him.  And...Your uncle's never been the same since."  He turned to look at Brian.  "Although...Lately I've seen just a bit of his old self; mainly, I think, because of you."

 

Brian frowned.  "Me? Why?"

 

Vic studied him.  "Because I think in a lot of ways you remind him of Dale. Oh, not physically; you really don't look anything alike.  But in mannerisms. Dale was a nice kid, but he always had a bit of a rebellious streak in him. He was kind of like French bread:  crusty on the outside, but soft on the inside."  Vic smirked as Brian rolled his eyes.

 

"Great. Always wanted to be compared to something stale."

 

Vic smiled.  "I think you catch my drift."

 

Brian glanced out at Justin to see him attaching the sulky to Headstrong as he quietly told Vic, "Justin filled me in on what happened that day."  He turned to look at him again.  "What do YOU think?  Do you think it was just some freak accident?  Or do you think it was something more?  Justin told me this horseracing business can be very cut-throat."

 

Vic snorted.  "Cut-throat doesn't begin to describe it.  Some of those drivers down there wouldn't think twice about poisoning one of their competitor's horses, just to get them out of the way.  They don't care about anyone or anybody except themselves and their greed. And Justin's definitely their main obstacle to that right now."

 

Brian's heart thumped with concern.  "So you're saying it _wasn't_ an accident," he surmised grimly.  "Justin mentioned the same doubt to me.  He said Dale used to be so careful with his equipment before every race."

 

Vic let out a ragged breath, rubbing his hand across his face and momentarily pressing his lips together before he nodded.  "Yeah, he was.  VERY careful.  He knew how important that was."  He sighed.  "I don't know, Brian.  It's possible it could have been either one.  But I know from talking to Justin about it that's he's not convinced it was an accident - and neither am I.  It just didn't make sense. But they never found any proof that it was anything _but_ an accident, so that was the only ruling they could make."

 

Brian nodded as he gazed down at Justin. From up here, he looked confident as he walked around the sulky to inspect it, but also vulnerable.  A lump of foreboding formed in his throat.  He knew he was being ridiculous - after all, Justin had been racing for a few years now without any problems - but then again, he hadn't known or cared so much about him then.

 

"He knows what he's doing," Vic reassured him quietly by his side as if he were reading his mind.  "He'll be fine, you'll see."

 

Brian nodded as he let out a tense breath.  Just then, Vic's nephew came bounding up the steps, holding onto a beer in one hand and a paper tray of his prized, fried pickles in the other. His eyes were shining with excitement as he sat down on the other side of Brian.  "Look what I found!" he cried out triumphantly.  "Want one?" he asked as he held it under his nose.

 

Brian crinkled his face in distaste.  "No way," he told him as he eyed the battered food. There were four, wedge-shaped pickles nestled inside; at least that's what he assumed they were.  It was hard to tell WHAT was under all that brown, grease-soaked coating.

 

 

 "You don't know what you're missing," Emmett sing-songed as Vic grinned at him from the other side.  "These are a southern delicacy - I call it Hillbilly caviar," he told Brian as he picked one up and promptly dunked into something that looked suspiciously like ranch dressing as he held it out toward him, deriving way too much glee out of it, too, in Brian's estimation.  To Brian, it could have been a chocolate-covered cicada; that might have been tastier, in fact.

 

Brian thought he would gag.  "I'll take your word for it, Honeycutt," he told him as he shuddered.  He saw Emmett shrug just before the other boy bit into the crunchy spear and licked his lips as Brian tried to concentrate on Justin's actions down on the track.  He watched intently as Justin finished up his inspection and reached to pull his helmet and goggles on, now completely protected from head to foot.  He frowned in concern, however, as he noticed Justin reaching to grip the edge of the seat as if he were steadying himself.  "Did you see that?" he asked Vic.

 

"What?" he asked as he snagged one of his nephew's spears and dipped it into the sauce.

 

"Justin looked like he was dizzy for a minute or something.  It looked like he was swaying a little."

 

Vic turned to gaze down at his young friend, noticing Justin swinging himself up into the seat.  "He was?"

 

Brian nodded.

 

"He looks okay now. Are you sure?"

 

"Yeah, it sure looked that way," he maintained, but he noticed that Justin appeared to be okay now.  He watched as his lover turned just then to look up into the grandstands, right in the middle section where the three of them were sitting.  He could see his head slightly turning from side to side as he looked around until a wide smile broke out on his face and he raised his hand to wave at them.

 

Brian couldn't help smiling back as he gave him a 'thumbs up' sign of encouragement.  Justin nodded as he turned to give the reins a slight tug and Headstrong and the sulky began moving toward the starting gate that was anchored to the rear of a white pickup truck located at the beginning of the starting line.

 

His heart racing in anticipation, Brian raptly watched as they trotted over to the middle of the starting gate to line up with the other horses; a number '6' was attached to Justin's right shoulder to identify his place at the gate as he trotted up to the next-to-last position and came to a stop.  The horses all shifted impatiently in their places at the countdown to start the race began on the scoreboard.

 

The loudspeaker began to crackle as it came to life, and a sense of excitement permeated the crowd as they began to speak in an almost hushed tone of voice, almost as if they were holding their collective breaths.  "All drivers to the starting gate," the male voice instructed as the crowd noise slowly increased in anticipation.  "Thirty seconds."

 

Brian found that he, too, was holding his breath; he watched as the remaining horses trotted up to the gate. They all stood side by side together before a horn sounded and the truck slowly began to creep forward, the horses trotting at the same pace behind it for several yards until the wings of the starting gate folded up and the truck separated from them to veer away into the grassy median.  He watched as the horses began to pick up speed, the drivers flicking their whips, not against the horse but against the metal of the sulky, apparently in a signal for the horse to speed up.

 

  

"And they're off!" the speaker roared to life as the crowd began to cheer and their voices began to lift in excitement.  Brian's heart began to pound as his eyes never wavered from the lithe, green-and-yellow uniformed driver speeding gracefully down the track, just ahead of the other drivers.  Headstrong's mane flew in the wind as his strong legs began to pick up speed.  Brian marveled at how Justin could be practically lying down in the seat as he sped around the track, but he knew it was normal posture and he appeared to be in full control of his movements.

 

 

 

His throat was dry as he watched with unwavering attention while Justin and another driver a short distance away turned the first curve of the track, practically side by side.  He frowned; they looked way too close to him.  "Do they always race so close?" he called over to Vic without taking his eyes off his lover.

 

Vic nodded.  "Yeah, that's normal," he reassured him.  "Once they get around the next turn, the field will spread out when the slower horses fall back."

 

Brian nodded, feeling a little better.

 

"Come on, Baby!" Emmett shouted as Justin began to pull ahead slightly just then.  "That's it!"

 

Brian licked his lips nervously, almost feeling like HE was racing at the moment.  "Come on, Justin," he whispered with bated breath.  "You can do it, Farm Boy..." He had to admit - Justin was amazing out there.  Despite his slighter build, his command of the situation was formidable.  No one seemed to control the horse the way that he could; Headstrong seemed to know instinctively what he wanted before it needed to be done.  He let out a sigh of relief as the other sulky driver that had been perilously close to Justin fell back ever so slightly as they rounded the next curve, just as Vic had predicted.

 

* * *

 

From their place in the opposite grandstand, Doug Kesterson watched the race with disgust.  "Shit!" he muttered in dismay, wondering how this could be.  "Your brother's ahead!" he growled to Jared, who was sitting next to him.

 

Jared shook his head in aggravation.  "I fucking _told_ you, you asshole!"  An older couple near them glared over at him due to his language, but he just ignored them.  "I _told_ you that Justin would win, didn't I?  Why did I let you talk me into betting against him?" He sighed heavily.  "Shit, man!  That was my last freaking $20, and now it's gone!"

 

"Chill!  There's still a chance," Doug told him as he watched the drama down below unfold with ever-increasing doubt and disbelief.  He didn't understand.  This was not supposed to happen this way.  _Damn it, Andrews; get your ass in gear!_ he silently berated the other driver who was a couple of lengths behind Justin.  _What the fuck?_   This wasn't right.  "Nooooo," he whispered, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.

 

Jared watched in exasperation, his brother apparently heading for yet another win.  "Damn you, Doug!" he yelled at him amidst the noise surrounding them.  "I should have never listened to you!  Look what you've done!  Now I have nothing!"

 

"Just wait!" Doug insisted as, all of a sudden, he noticed Jared's brother seeming to hesitate and Headstrong appearing to slow down.  "Look!" he cried out as he pointed down at the track and grabbed his friend's arm for emphasis.

 

Jared watched, perplexed. Justin seemed like he was swaying in his seat almost, and Headstrong apparently was picking up on his indecision. The horse was slowing just a bit, just enough for Robbie Andrews and his horse to begin to catch up with them.  "What the hell?" he asked to no one in particular, finding that he wasn't nearly as jubilant as he should have been over the race tightening up. This wasn't like his brother to falter like this.  "What is going on down there?"

 

* * *

 

From down on the field, Justin felt his head begin to swim as Headstrong dutifully trotted rapidly down the track that he knew so well.  The crowd noise and the clip-clop of the sulky made the dizziness reappear, and he grabbed blindly onto the seat with his free hand to try and brace himself.  He didn't notice at first that he had relaxed his hold on the reins, normally a signal for Headstrong to begin slowing down.  When he saw Robbie Andrews coming up out of the corner of his eye, however, and the grandstand speaker announcing that they were now neck and neck coming down the stretch, he pressed his lips firmly together in resolve. He was NOT going to lose this race because of some weakness on his part!  Not for his family's sake - who were depending on him to win - and not with Brian watching him race for the first time.

 

Forcing himself to concentrate, despite the dizziness and sweat now trickling into his eyes underneath the racing goggles, he tugged on the reins.  "Come on, Headstrong!" he shouted as the horse took off faster, just as Justin had hoped. The horse almost jostled him so much at that point that he almost fell off; however, he managed to grab onto the sulky just in time to remain upright.  He turned his head to see Andrews just a few feet behind him, flashing him a smug sort of grin, and that merely increased his determination not to give the arrogant SOB the chance to triumph over him.  At least not today.  "Go, boy!" he shouted to Headstrong as the horse picked up his pace a bit more.

 

As they approached the home stretch, he noticed he and Andrews were now almost parallel to each other. The noise from the crowd, and the excitement present in the voice over the loudspeaker were deafening as they neared the finish line, as Justin's dizziness increased.  _Just a little more..._ he pleaded as the two of them rapidly headed toward the end.

 

* * *

 

From their special box seats, Jennifer and Craig were standing on their feet, both of their faces creased with worry. They, too, realized that something was terribly wrong. It was obvious in Justin's position in the sulky seat and his hesitation before he pulled on the reins and shouted for Headstrong to move that there was a problem of some kind.

 

"What's going on?" Jennifer called over to Craig, who watched their son intently with ever-growing worry.  "I don't know," he told her tersely.  "But _something's_ definitely wrong."  He watched as Justin and the other driver rumbled toward the finish line, the other boy close on his heels.  Unlike Justin's normal races, it was evident that this would be a sort of 'Hail Mary' finish; it was anyone's guess who was going to win _this_ one.

 

"I'm going down there," Craig decided as he turned to start hurrying down the aisle situated next to them. Jennifer quickly followed, both of them watching the last few seconds of the race playing out before them and both holding their breaths as they hurried down the steps at the same time.

 

* * *

 

"You're going to be eating my dust, Taylor!" Robbie Andrews yelled over at Justin as their horses raced toward the finish line.

 

That only spurred Justin on more, though, as his lips pressed together and he gave Headstrong's reins one, last flick with his wrists.  _That's it_ , he thought with pride as his horse found one, last ounce of strength to increase his lead ever so minutely, finally pulling ahead just as they came to the finish line.  It was only by the barest of margins as they crossed the mark, but it was enough to claim victory.

 

As the crowd erupted in excitement, Justin's felt his head swimming with disorientation and his eyes rolling back in his head as he promptly toppled from the sulky, directly down onto the hard, dirt surface of the track.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Chapter End Notes:

_There will be another part to this coming up. Did not want to wait any longer to post what I had so I could get it updated for readers. Hope everyone is still enjoying this one!  Would love to hear your thoughts.  Thanks._


	21. Who's the Real Man?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin is rushed to the hospital for medical attention with his parents and Brian by his side. Loyalties shift as revelations are made.

With everyone standing on their feet to observe the photo finish, a collective gasp rose from the crowd in the grandstand as Justin unceremoniously fell from the sulky.  It was through a combination of pure luck and skill on the part of the other drivers that he didn't get trampled by one of the other horses as the other competitors either came to an abrupt stop or rushed by him past the finish line.

 

Headstrong stood there, still attached to the sulky, as he paced restlessly on his feet, somehow sensing that something was horribly wrong with his owner now lying lifeless on the ground beside him.

 

"Give him some room!" Craig yelled to the others huddled around his son as he came rushing up to kneel down beside him. 

 

A crackle could be heard over the loudspeaker as the announcer urgently intoned, "Dr. Kesterson, Dr. Kesterson! Emergency medical situation on the track.  Dr. Kesterson, to the track immediately." 

 

Jennifer came rushing up to her husband's side and gasped at her son lying motionless by her feet.  "Oh, my God, Justin!" she cried out as she knelt down next to her husband, who was unsnapping their son's helmet from under his chin to gently pull it off his head; their son's tangle of sweaty, blond hair spilled out to cradle his head, but as Jennifer shook her son's shoulder there was no response.

 

"Justin...Honey...Wake up!  Please!" she implored as she looked over at her husband. Now that the race was over, everyone else crowded around the scene nearby to gawk, obliterating everyone's view, including Emmett, Vic, and Brian, who had witnessed the entire, horrible scene from their place in the grandstand.

 

As soon as Justin had fallen, however, Brian took off like a shot out of his seat, pushing his way past Emmett in seconds as he practically ran down the middle aisle, taking the steps two at a time as he reached ground level in record time.  Heading straight toward the track, he roughly shoved aside anyone who happened to be in the way.  Nothing was going to stop him from getting to Justin's side as he plowed through the crowd; nothing and no one. 

 

Craig looked up as a shadow loomed over him and Jennifer; he was not entirely surprised to see Brian standing there, but he WAS a little surprised to see the worry clearly etched all over his face.  He knew the boy had planned on attending the race with Vic and Em, and by now it was no secret that his son and this older boy were 'involved,' whether he approved of their relationship or not.  Still, he was not quite prepared for the anxious look on the other boy's face as he stood beside him.

 

Brian met his gaze unflinchingly for a couple of seconds before, as if a dam had broken, Brian knelt down on the other side of Justin's body as he looked in horror at the pale, sweaty face. "Justin..." he murmured in dismay.  He reached over to brush some damp hair away from Justin's face.  "Come on," he urged softly, deliberately tuning out everything else around them - the people, the sounds, the murmuring of others standing nearby.  Right then, it was just the two of them.  "Wake up, you drama princess," he scolded him gently.  _Please wake up..._

 

He began to lightly stroke Justin's cheek with his thumb.  "Has he moved at all yet?" he asked softly as he continued to keep his eyes locked on his lover.

 

"No," Jennifer shook her head as she told him sadly, her eyes moist with tears; they began to hear a beep-beep-beep sound nearby then, signaling that the ambulance on standby was backing up toward them, as Dr. Kesterson, the doctor on call during races, rushed up to them with his medical bag. 

 

"He has a pulse," Craig reported hopefully as the doctor opened up his bag and knelt down next to Brian, his fingers pressed down on his son's pulse point under his wrist.  "Come on, Son," he urged softly. 

 

Brian continued to stroke Justin's face as the doctor pulled out his stethoscope and, unzipping the front of Justin's racing uniform, placed the end against his chest.  The three others held their breath as the doctor listened intently for a few seconds before nodding.  "Heartbeat is strong," he reported as the others breathed a slight sigh of relief.  "But he's suffering from bradycardia.  His heart is beating more slowly than normal," he added in way of explanation as the others looked at him in confusion.  "What happened, exactly?  I was back in the stables treating one of the horses when I heard the loudspeaker."

 

"He fell off his horse just as soon as he reached the finish line," Craig reported. 

 

Brian reluctantly removed his hand from Justin's face as he clasped Justin's hand instead, taking some solace in the warmth he felt there, as the doctor inquired, "Any idea why?  Was he bumped or jostled in some way?"

 

Craig shook his head.  "No, nothing like that.  But he did seem to sway in his seat on the home stretch, and I noticed him grabbing onto the seat as if he were trying to keep himself upright just before he fell." 

 

"He was sweating a lot before," Brian volunteered as he stared into Justin's face, beads of perspiration still present on his forehead.  Their time in the stable previously came filtering back to him.  "He seemed like he wasn't feeling well before the race, too."

 

Craig and Jennifer both frowned in confusion.  "How would you know that?" Craig pressed.

 

Brian pursed his lips together before he sighed.  He had to tell them, no matter what the circumstances might be.  "I saw him before the race - in the stables," he explained as he finally lifted his gaze to peer into Craig's face.  The man's jaw was set in a hard line.

 

"How did you get back there?" Justin's father asked.  "No one can get in that area without permission." 

 

Brian hated to rat out Vic, not sure how Craig would view that, but he felt he had no choice. He had lied enough in the past; he wasn't about to start down that path again now.  "Vic let me borrow his pass so I could talk to Justin before the race."  Just as he feared, he noticed Justin's father visibly tensing in response to his statement.

 

"He shouldn't have done that," Craig told him tersely.  "Justin needs to concentrate before a race - not be diverted by distractions."  Brian sighed heavily, knowing this wasn't the time to get into a battle of words with Justin's father, even though he bristled at being termed a 'distraction.' 

 

"Craig, please," Jennifer interrupted before Brian could respond, clearly irritated.  "We can talk about this later.  Justin's what's important right now." To his credit, Craig grudgingly nodded as she turned to Brian to ask, "What did you mean earlier, Brian?" 

 

Brian's hold on his lover's hand tightened imperceptibly as he explained, "I was talking to him in the stables and he seemed to get a little dizzy.  He was also sweating quite a bit, even though it wasn't really that hot in there.  He just told me he always got a little nervous before he races, so I really didn't think that much about it."  Now he wished he had; if it could have prevented this, he would have done anything.

 

"Doctor?" he pressed.  "What do you think is going on?"

 

Kesterson shook his head.  "Hard to say.  He needs to be examined at the hospital; I'm not equipped to do that thorough of an examination here."  The back doors to the ambulance opened as two paramedics walked over to the lingering crowd, wheeling a gurney between them.

 

Brian swallowed hard, realizing this was a very serious matter as the two other men knelt down next to the doctor, who began to provide them with his initial findings; he looked up as a worried-looking Vic and Emmett rushed up to them.

 

Emmett's eyes filled with tears as he clapped his hand over his mouth.  "Oh, Baby..." he murmured, a feeling of protectiveness overwhelming him as he looked at the ashen, still face of the younger boy. "What happened?" he asked Brian, who shook his head helplessly and shrugged.

 

"I can take Headstrong back to the stables," Vic volunteered as Jennifer nodded at him gratefully; she reached over to grab Craig's wrist then as he opened his mouth to speak, no doubt to give Vic a tongue lashing over allowing Brian to use his pass for the stables.  He glared over at her briefly, but fortunately held his tongue as she silently shook her head, deciding he would discuss it with Vic later.

 

 

* * *

 

The grandstands were a constant murmur of voices now as everyone stood there in shock, wondering exactly what had happened.  The race results flashed up on the screen just then, verifying that Justin had, indeed, won the run, followed by Robbie Andrews and then another, relatively unknown driver coming in a distant third. 

 

In the midst of the shock and confusion, Jared stood next to his friend, just as stunned as everyone else.  He had just watched his brother falter in the backstretch of the race, moments before he reached the finish line and promptly tumbled off the sulky and onto the track in a motionless heap, just barely avoiding being trampled upon by a couple of horses directly behind him.  "What the fuck..." he murmured in confusion, his brows narrowed in disbelief as he watched his parents rush to his side.  He pursed his lips tightly together in irritation as well as a twinge of jealousy as he recognized the Kinney boy hurrying over to kneel next to Justin as Doug's father, the doctor, was summoned to the track.

 

"Yeah," Doug Kesterson muttered beside him.  "The little shit won anyway," he grumbled as Jared turned to look at him in astonishment. While he was still quite angry and resentful with his father and Justin over what he perceived as an injustice toward him - this was still his _little brother_.

 

"What the fuck, man?  This is my BROTHER, you asshole!  He just fell off a fucking horse, and you're worried about your twenty bucks?  Just what is WITH you?" 

 

Doug bristled.  "Don't go getting all high and mighty with me, Jared!  You're the one who moved out over what happened, remember?   Andrews was supposed to win, not him.  Damn, stubborn kid...I knew I should have..."

 

His voice trailed off as Jared frowned at him, a terrible suspicion beginning to form in his mind.  _No, he couldn't have.  He wouldn't have...would he?_

"What do you mean, _Andrews was supposed to win_?" he asked, his voice hard as he stared over at his friend, everyone else standing nearby fading into the background. 

 

He noticed Doug's face flush before he stammered, "I...I just meant it was his time to be knocked down a peg, that's all.  It was time for him to lose for a change." 

 

Jared slowly shook his head.  "No...No, I don't think that's what you meant at all.  I heard you before; you said 'the little shit won _anyway_.  Just what did you mean by that?"  He thought back about discovering his friend earlier out in the stables, close to where Justin was keeping Headstrong before the race, and how uncomfortable Doug had seemed at being found - and how bitter he had acted toward Dale, too.  Had he somehow done too convincing a job of winning Doug over to his side with his previous lying at the cost of his brother being hurt?  Was he that loyal to him and vindictive toward Justin?  What had he done?

 

"Doug, what did you do to him?" he demanded urgently as he stared down at his lifeless brother surrounded by his parents, Kinney, Doug's own father, and other bystanders and track personnel.  He watched as an ambulance began to back up toward the group, recognizing Vic and his over-the-top nephew, Emmett, rushing up as they knelt down next to him.  He turned to stare at his friend, noticing a distinctive air of both defensiveness and guilt, perhaps, etched on his face.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Doug retorted as if he were insulted.  "How could I have had something to do with _that_?  I'm up here - he's down there!"

 

"Don't be so dense with me, Doug; you know what I'm talking about!" The more he spoke, the more convinced he was that his friend had, indeed, done something earlier.  "When I found you before, you were in the same stable where Headstrong was; I know which stable Justin keeps him in during the races.  You did something to cause this, didn't you?" 

 

"You're fucking delusional."  Doug averted his gaze, however, the heat of guilt blooming on his face as he stared down at the scene below them, seething inside that his plan did not go as he had hoped.

 

"No, I'm not," Jared insisted as he watched Doug's father examining Justin.  Suddenly an insidious, horrible thought seeped into his mind. He had grown up around horses, and through Dale and Justin's involvement with horseracing he was all too familiar with the seamier side of the sport, especially when high-stakes betting was involved.  Normally when something happened, however, the malevolence was directed at the horses, not the drivers.   But Headstrong appeared to be fine; Justin was the one who seemed to have been affected.  "Tell me, damn it," he demanded firmly, everyone else too absorbed in what was occurring down on the track to pay them any mind.  "Tell me what the fuck you did, Kesterson, or so help me..."

 

"Not here," Doug finally hissed as he grabbed Jared's upper arm and began to pull him toward the aisle, receiving a few glares as he stepped on a couple of feet and bumped into some of the other patrons as they sidled past them. 

 

Jared shook his head in stunned disbelief as he followed his friend down the aisle to ground level, shadowing him as Kesterson led them over to a large, white, brick concession building.   Jared cast one last glance over at his brother before turning to follow Doug behind the building, predictably finding that they were alone.

 

"Okay, Doug, now out with it!" Jared demanded as he leaned up against the back wall of the building.  "What the fuck did you do to him?  Is he...?"

 

Doug bestowed a barely-concealed look of disdain upon him.  "No...Fuck, no!  He's not dead if that's what you're about to ask.  I'm not THAT stupid."

 

"That remains to be seen," Jared replied.  "I'm still waiting to hear what you did." 

 

Doug sighed.  "Duh.  My dad's a doctor, remember?  He has access to all sorts of medicine."

 

Jared's blood ran cold.  "What kind of medicine?"  His brother was severely allergic to all sorts of medications; he often reacted quite differently from others did that took the same drugs who never had any side effects from them.  His grandfather had been the same way; only it seemed to have skipped a generation and didn't reappear until Justin had been born.  "Doug, damn it, what medicine?" he repeated a little louder when his friend didn't appear forthcoming in answering.

 

Doug shrugged as if it were no big deal.  "I just slipped a little bit of tranquilizer into his water bottle, that's all. Don't get all uptight about it.  He'll sleep it off after several hours and be good as new."  He grimaced.  "I just wish the little fucker hadn't managed to finish the race, though. I should have put a little more in there, I guess," he added with a little laugh.  "The horses never seem to mind."

 

Jared looked at him in shock.  "Are you out of your fucking mind?  He's allergic to all _kinds_ of medications, you idiot!"  Before Doug could move, Jared had him pinned up against the wall; he grunted as his head hit the hard, painted surface. "Which one was it, Doug? Which one did you give him?" 

 

"Hey, I did it for you!" Doug huffed out in resentment.  "What do YOU care?"

 

"He's my brother, damn it!" Jared growled.  "Now either tell me what you gave him, or I'll march your ass right over to your dad and tell HIM what you did!" 

 

Doug held up his hands.  "All right, all right!  I just slipped him a little Special K, that's all, okay?  How was I supposed to know he'd react like the living dead?" 

 

"You gave him ketamine?"  He shoved the other boy so hard his body slammed back against the wall.

 

"Yeah, yeah, I gave him just a little in his water, just enough to make him disoriented!  I did it for YOU! I did it to even out the playing field a little!" Doug maintained as he scrambled frantically for an explanation.  " _You're_ the one who told me how they mistreated you and kicked you out!  What Kinney did to you and how your father took your brother's side! Why is your nose so out of joint, then?  You should be grateful to me!"

 

Jared stared daggers at him for several seconds before he finally let him go.  "You asshole."  His jaw twitching in anger, he turned to leave, needing to get back to his brother to let someone know what was going on and what he had been given.

 

"What's wrong with you?  I did it for you, Jared!" Doug continued to spout as he called after him.  "We're in this together, don't you see that?  We're both exactly alike." 

 

Jared shook his head.  "No," he told him quietly as he turned around to stare at him.  "We are _not_ alike. You'd better pray that my brother is okay, or..."  He left the threat unsaid as he turned and hurried away.

 

* * *

 

"Okay, on three," one of the paramedics instructed as the two men prepared to carefully lift Justin up onto the gurney. A stabilizing board had been placed beneath him and his head held immobile by a brace as a precautionary measure as they transferred him to the gurney and prepared to wheel him away.

 

Brian reluctantly let go of Justin's hand so the men could do their job as he began to follow them toward the ambulance.

 

"Brian..."

 

He turned to Vic, who was standing there holding Headstrong's reins, and spoke up as if it were already decided. "I'm going to the hospital," he explained, his eyes filled with worry.  "I need to make sure he's going to be okay."

 

"That won't be necessary," Craig spoke up beside her.  "His mother and I will be there with him. We'll call Vic and tell him when we find out more about his condition."

 

But Brian wouldn't be deterred; he couldn't be with Justin, _see_ Justin so full of life and so vibrant with him back in the stables, and see him now like he was, lifeless and still, not without making sure he would be okay.  He wasn't about to leave him now.  "No," he told him, swallowing his pride and his dislike of this man as he added, " _Please_.  Let me come with you."  He turned to Justin's mother to try and reason with her, knowing that she, at least, would be more sympathetic.  "Mrs. Taylor, I have to be there." 

 

Jennifer eyed him intently.  She was all too well aware of this boy's budding relationship with her son, and while she still wasn't quite sure how lasting it would be, Brian _did_ seem deeply smitten with Justin.  She only hoped that it was genuine emotion at play here, and not just some temporary infatuation.  There was something in Brian's face that told her it might just be the real deal.  Not bothering to confer with her husband, she nodded.  "You can ride with us to the hospital."

 

"Jen, you have got to be kidding!" Craig growled.  "Will and Sarah will be looking for him to come back right after the race!  We can't just take him with us!  He's not our responsibility!"

 

"I'm sure Vic can explain to them what's going on, and they'll understand.  After all, they've been through the same thing, remember?  They of ALL people should understand." 

 

Craig sighed; he had to grudgingly admit his wife had a point.  He could recall all too well what had happened after Dale had been injured and how much Sarah and Will had seemed to appreciate all the emotional support they had received at the hospital. This, however, was different.  Back then there wasn't some teenage boy trailing after their son.  "I'm not sure..."

 

"I'll be glad to fill them in, Craig," Vic told his boss.  "And I'll keep an eye on things back home. Emmett can help me."  Emmett nodded, thoroughly besotted with Brian's need to be with Justin. 

 

Craig shook his head in resignation, knowing time was critical for his son and that he was fighting a losing battle.  "Okay, okay," he grumbled finally.  "Let's get going," he instructed the paramedics as the two of them began to wheel Justin toward the back of the ambulance.  Brian looked over at Jennifer, who nodded with a slight smile as the two of them followed closely behind.

 

"I hope this isn't a big mistake," Craig told his friend softly as he turned to go, fishing in his pocket for the keys to the truck.

 

"He really cares about him," Vic assured him.  "He needs to be there, and something tells me Justin needs him there, too.  You're doing the right thing."

 

Craig let out a deep breath and nodded.  "I hope you're right about that; we'll keep in touch," he told him quietly as he hurried to catch up with Brian and Jennifer.

 

Vic placed a hand on Emmett's shoulder.  "What a mess.  I hope that boy's going to be okay."

 

"What do you think happened to him, Uncle Vic?" Emmett asked, his face full of concern for his friend as Justin was slid into the back of the ambulance.

 

"Well, I don't know for sure," Vic told him as they watched one of the paramedics hop into the back with Justin and close the doors.  A few seconds later, the whine of the emergency siren filled the air as the ambulance began to head off the track and toward the front gate.  "But I have a feeling this was no accident." 

 

* * *

 

Jared threaded his way back toward the crowd; even with what had just transpired, there were more races to be run and more money to be won or lost, so no one appeared in any hurry to leave.  It took him several minutes to make his way back to the front of the building and over to the track, just in time to hear the ambulance siren start up and see the vehicle pulling away with his brother apparently inside.  "Damn it," he growled as he stood there in indecision, rubbing his hand through his hair restlessly.  No doubt his parents had already left, too; he noticed they were no longer out on the track where he had seen them earlier.  In fact, the drivers for the next race were already leading their horses and sulkies out toward the starting gate.  "Everything's back to normal," he muttered.  But he knew that was far from the truth.  Now, the question was - just what would he _do_ with 'the truth?' 

 

* * *

_Thirty Minutes Later_

"Hey, Vic," Billy Renfro greeted the older man as he opened up the wooden gate to Headstrong's stall and stepped inside to look around.  Having been Sheriff of Woodford County for almost twenty years now, the 50ish, slim, salt-and-peppered haired man had seen his share in the past of shady goings-on here at the track, but whenever he got a call to come here it always sent a chill down his spine.  Yes, there had been plenty of 'accidents' along the way - some of which were just that, accidents - but there had also been a fair amount of mishaps that had wound up being much more nefarious in nature.  After learning that the person involved today was the young man he had grown to admire the past couple of years for his talent on the track, however, his suspicious radar was on high alert. 

 

Vic smiled as he walked over to shake Renfro's hand.  "Hi, Billy," he replied.  "I figured you would be the one to come out here today."  He and Billy had known each other for several years now; you didn't live in Woodford County and work in law enforcement without getting to know a lot of the seasoned, veteran drivers fairly well. They came in handy whenever a little digging was in order to find out the truth about a possible crime that had been committed here at the track, and throughout the years, Billy had found Vic to be extremely reliable as well as truthful. 

 

"How's your protégé doing?" he asked as he continued to look around the stall for anything that might seem remiss.

 

"Not sure yet," was the terse reply. "Doc Kesterson tended to him right after the injury, and the ambulance took him on up to Lexington General.  His parents are there with him now. They said they would call me with an update, but so far I haven't heard anything."

 

Renfro nodded.  "Did you see what happened out there on the track?"

 

Vic nodded.  "Yeah.  My nephew, Emmett, and I - along with another friend of Justin's - were all watching the race from up in the grandstand when it happened.  He seemed to sway a little in the seat and then he toppled right out of the sulky, just as soon as he crossed the finish line.  We all went rushing over to him to check on him...and found him unconscious."

 

Renfro hurriedly jotted down some notes the old-fashioned way, into a small, spiral-bound notebook, before he looked back at Vic.  "Your nephew and this friend - where are they?  I'll need their statements as well." 

 

 

"Well, Emmett should be back shortly; he offered to bring the horse trailer and the truck over to the back of the stables so I could load Headstrong.  I told Justin's parents that I'd take care of Headstrong while they're gone. And Brian - that's Justin's other friend - he went to the hospital with them."

 

Renfro nodded.  "Okay, I'll wait around until your nephew gets back to get his statement, and then drive onto the hospital to talk to this friend of Justin's and his parents.  Anything else you can think of? Anything that appeared out of place, suspicious?  He didn't get bumped or anything like that on the track to make him lose his balance?"

 

Vic shook his head; he knew exactly where the sheriff was going with that statement.  Thank God he hadn't seen anything like what had happened with Dale.  It still didn't make it any easier to deal with, though.  He swallowed hard at the image of Justin lying there immobile that was still engrained into his mind.  "No, I didn't see anything like that.  There was one thing, though..."

 

The sheriff's eyebrows lifted in curiosity.  "Yeah?"

 

"Brian, his friend, came to see him back here in the stall before he went out to race," Vic explained.  "And he told us that Justin seemed a little disoriented then; all sweaty and a little dizzy.  Justin attributed it to just pre-race nerves. But now, I'm not so sure." 

 

Renfro nodded.  "I'd better head over to the hospital, then, to speak with this other boy.  You said your nephew would be back soon?"  Vic nodded back at him as Renfro eyed the room before his gaze settled back onto the horse.  "Headstrong seem to be okay?" he asked as his eyes examined him for any signs of discomfort.

 

Vic nodded.  "Yeah, he appears fine. Although I think he knows something has happened. He's a little restless right now.  You may think I'm crazy, but I think horses have a sixth sense about these types of things, and I think somehow he knows that something's wrong with Justin.  The two of them share a very close bond." 

 

"Well, I'll have to take your word for that," Renfro replied.  "I know they've won a hell of a lot of races - and that always tends to cause a lot of resentment among other people."

 

"I hope you're wrong about that," Vic told him quietly.  "Either way, it's a serious situation.  But if I had to choose how it happened, I would much prefer to find out it was just an unfortunate accident."

 

"Yeah," Renfro told him grimly.  "Me, too. But I have to check out all the possibilities."  I'm going to take a look around the stables; if I don't see your nephew before I head over to the hospital, I'll come out to the farm later and get his statement, okay?" 

 

Vic nodded.  "Sure thing, Billy."  He turned to stroke Headstrong's neck reassuringly as the sheriff swung the stall door open and stepped out into the main walkway.

 

Renfro stood there, his beady, dark-brown eyes studying every stall, every wood beam, every bench; before his eyes fell upon the worn, weathered wooden bench sitting a few feet away, two water bottles - one nearly empty and one apparently unopened - sitting on the end.  Reaching inside his pocket to pull out a pair of disposable, latex gloves and a large Ziploc bag, he walked over and picked up both bottles one at a time and slid them inside the bag before sealing it up. 

 

* * *

 

"Emmett!"

 

Emmett turned just as he was about to slide into the driver's seat of his uncle's truck, noticing with surprise that Jared was rushing over to him.  He pressed his lips tightly together in irritation, still perturbed over the other boy's duplicity and treatment of his younger brother, and how he had used him to torment him.

 

"This is a surprise," he told him curtly as Jared ran up to him.  "What do you want, Jared?  Want to gloat because your brother got hurt?  I assume you know about it."

 

"Are Mom and Dad at the hospital?" he asked breathlessly, not even bothering to reply to Emmett's question.

 

"If you must know, yes; where else would they be? Do you know your brother was unconscious?  Of course, being thrown off a sulky would probably do that to a person.  Or do you even care?"

 

Jared's eyes flashed; he supposed he deserved that, though.  "Will you listen to me?  We don't have time for this, Emmett!  I know what happened to my brother!  He was drugged.  I have to tell them what happened and what was used!" 

 

Emmett's mouth hung open in shock.  "What are you talking about?"

 

Jared huffed in disbelief.  "Did you hear me?  I need to get in touch with my parents right away!"

 

"They're at the hospital," Emmett verified.  "But Uncle Vic's inside the stable with Headstrong.  He could maybe get in touch..."  He didn't have a chance to finish his statement before Jared whirled around and ran furiously toward the stable where Headstrong was being held.

 

* * *

 

"I know, boy," Vic murmured as he stroked Headstrong's neck. The horse somehow knew that something was amiss; whether it was his appearance at his side after the race - or whether he somehow sensed the drama that had occurred after Justin fell - the horse was pawing restlessly in the stall as if he knew something dreadful had happened.  "It's going to be okay," he soothed him as he patted him on his flank.  _At least I hope so..._

 

"Vic!"

 

He turned to observe Jared rushing up to him, out of breath.  "Jared," he responded curtly.  "What do you want?  I'm busy here."    

 

"Emmett told me I could find you in here. I need to talk to you...And the sheriff." 

 

* * *

_Thirty minutes later - Lexington General Hospital_

 

Justin's parents, along with Brian, sat impatiently in a trio of padded, vinyl-and-wooden chairs in the ER waiting room. They had been told to remain there until Justin could be examined after answering several preliminary questions.  Thankfully, Dr. Kesterson had accompanied the ambulance and was inside with him; that provided a little reassurance to them.  But only incrementally. Each of them was greatly concerned over the young man currently lying in the hospital bed just beyond the set of swinging, double doors. 

 

"What is taking so long?" Jennifer finally murmured, unable to stand it.  "We should have known something by now."

 

Craig reached over to squeeze her shoulder.  "I'm sure Doc Kesterson will be out as soon as they know something." 

 

She sighed as she glanced over at Brian; he was sitting hunched over in his chair, his palms on his knees with his head hanging down.  He looked totally whipped; pretty much like she felt at the moment. She hated this helpless feeling, and she suspected he wasn't accustomed to feeling that way too often.  "Brian?" she called over to him softly.

 

He lifted his head to peer over at her, his eyes haunted and his face drawn.  "Do you need me to get you something?" he asked.

 

She shook her head with a smile.  "No," she told him.  "I was just wondering how _you're_ holding up." 

 

He sighed.  "I'm okay," he told her.  "I...I just wish they would tell us something, too." 

 

She nodded, just as the front entrance doors swished open and Sheriff Renfro came walking in. Her heart began to beat quicker as he noticed her and made a beeline toward the three of them.  "Jen, Craig," he greeted them tersely with a small tip of his sheriff's hat as they stood up. 

 

"Sheriff," Craig responded as they shook hands and Jennifer nodded politely at him.  "I guess you heard what happened to our son."

 

The sheriff nodded as he looked curiously over at the boy sitting next to them.  "Yeah, that's why I'm here. I'm sorry to hear about Justin. Any word on how he's doing?"

 

They both shook their heads.  "Not yet," Craig told him.  "Have YOU found out anything?"

 

"Nothing concrete," he told them.  He held up the large-sized Ziploc bag containing the two water bottles.  "But I found these outside Headstrong's stall a little while ago. I'm going to have the hospital run some tests on them.  I've had them dusted for fingerprints, too; I'm going to run a search for a match back at the precinct when I get back." 

 

"Justin drank some water just before he raced," Brian disclosed as he stood up, his mind swirling with a horrible possibility.  "Do you think...do you think someone laced his water bottle with something?" 

 

"You Brian?" the sheriff asked pointedly as Brian nodded.  "You were with him at the stables just before he raced according to Vic, right?"

 

Brian nodded. 

 

"You didn't observe anything unusual then?  No one that seemed out of place or didn't seem to belong there?"

 

Brian shook his head, feeling the heat of Craig's stare on him.  He knew that man still didn't quite trust him.  "No.  But I'd never been to one of Justin's races or been in the stables before, so I'm probably not such a good judge of that."

 

The sheriff nodded.  "Well, I'll run a fingerprint analysis on the bottles just in case I can lift a good set from them."

 

"Sheriff..."

 

"Yes, Son?"

 

Brian glanced over at Justin's parents before he told the other man, "My fingerprints will be on one of them.  Justin asked me to hand him one of the bottles to drink just before he headed out to the track.  I...I have a record."  He shifted a little uncomfortably on his feet, feeling the man's scrutiny on him.  It used to be he wouldn't have cared what _anyone_ thought about him having a record; he would have almost been proud of it, in fact, as a sort of rebellious badge of honor.  Now, however, he found that it made him feel awkward and almost like a pariah instead.  When had that changed?

 

The sheriff's eyes widened slightly in curiosity.  "What sort of record?"

 

Brian inhaled a breath and let it out.  "I was caught drag racing a stolen car a few months ago.  I was placed with my aunt and uncle on probation instead of going to jail.  Sarah and Will Walker."

 

"The Walkers are your kin?"

 

Brian nodded.  "Yeah.  Aunt Sarah is my mother's sister."

 

"You don't say," he murmured.  He had always had a bit of a crush on Sarah Walker; they had gone to school together.  "She makes a mean blueberry cobbler," he told him with a slight smile as Brian nodded; somehow not surprised that he knew that.

 

"I just thought you should know," Brian informed him.  "But I also want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt Justin.  I...I care about him."

 

Jennifer and Craig exchanged a look between them as Jennifer shook her head as if to tell her husband not to make a scene. 

 

Renfro nodded.  "Well, I'm obliged to you for letting me know.  I'm going to need a full report from all you folks about what you saw, both before and after the race."

 

"Of course," Craig told him as he peered over at Brian.  "We'll _all_ give you whatever information you need.  But first we need to make sure our son is going to be okay." 

 

"I understand," the sheriff told him.  "I'm going to head down to the lab to have these checked out, then."  Nodding at the trio, he turned to walk toward the elevators that would transport him down to the basement. 

 

"Well, I think we've waited long enough," Craig decided as he turned to look at his wife.  "I'm going to go talk to someone to find out what's going on."  He turned to peer over at Brian in hesitation.

 

"What?" Brian couldn't help responding a little defensively.

 

"You didn't see anything else that happened before the race, Brian?" 

 

Brian eyed him unflinchingly.  "No.  If I did, don't you think I would have told the sheriff that?  I don't have anything to hide, Mr. Taylor.  I meant what I said before.  Do you think I would have admitted that I had a record if I was trying to hide something?"

 

"I don't know," Craig told him honestly as Jennifer grasped his arm in silent warning that he was quickly getting out of line again.  "You might if you were trying to deflect suspicion away from you.  I'm not sure what to make of you just yet.  I just hope my son's faith in you is justified, and you didn't have anything to do with what's wrong with him."

 

Jennifer looked at him aghast.  "Craig!  Are you crazy?  He wouldn't do that!  Apologize to him!" 

 

Brian's mouth hung open in disgust.  _One step forward, two steps backward..._ He looked at the other man sadly.  "I don't expect an apology from you," he told him quietly.  "I don't expect anything from you.  And I don't care _what_ you think.  Justin knows the truth; that's all that matters."

 

"Well, obviously something happened out there.  And I don't think it was just some sudden illness that occurred.  I think it's something a lot more sinister than that.  Apparently the sheriff does, too."  He rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth restlessly.  "Despite what you might think, Brian, I love my son.  There's already been one serious incident that happened at that track; how do we know this wasn't a second attempt? I'm just trying to protect my son." 

 

"Well, at last we agree on something," Brian retorted as he shook his head, noticing Jennifer flashing him a sympathetic look.  He sighed.  "Look, this isn't getting either one of us anywhere, Mr. Taylor.  Can we table the mutual un-admiration society until we find out how Justin is?" 

 

Just then he noticed the sheriff disconnecting from a cellphone call as he turned back around and walked back over to them.  "Stay right there," Renfro told them tersely as he walked over to the registration desk and spoke to a woman sitting there.  A few seconds later, the woman nodded as she got up from her chair and disappeared inside the ER examination area. 

 

"What the...?" Craig wondered as they stood there in confusion, wondering what was going on.  About a minute later, they watched as Doc Kesterson emerged from the emergency room doors and headed over to them with the sheriff.

 

"Any word on Justin?" Jennifer asked urgently to the doctor.

 

"Well, he's semi-conscious now, which is a good sign, and his condition is stable.  I was just coming out to tell you that. They still don't know what happened, though. They're waiting for some diagnostic tests to come back; that will hopefully shed some more light on what's going on." 

 

"That's why I summoned you," Renfro informed him. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before he told him, "I have it on good word that someone slipped Ketamine into Justin's water before the race." 

 

Brian's eyes grew large; he knew exactly what that was - and what it could do.  "Someone gave him Special K?" 

 

The sheriff's right brow arched in curiosity.  Apparently this boy had either done a little experimenting himself at some point - or he had hung around with someone who did.  "Yeah, looks like it." 

 

"But how?  Why?" Craig asked him, shocked.  "Justin's allergic to all sorts of things! Any amount could have killed him!" 

 

"Maybe that's what they intended to do," Brian told him in disgust as he peered over at the sheriff.  "Who told you that?" he queried, not afraid to be direct.  Whoever it was, he decided he wouldn't be shy at all about throttling him with his bare hands - after he made sure that Justin was going to be okay.

 

Renfro turned to the doctor, his eyes soft with sympathy.  "Lyle..."  The two of them had both gone to school together and were friends from way back. 

 

"What's going on?  I'd like to know that answer myself.  Craig's right - with Justin's allergy history, any dose could have killed him." He had treated Justin since he was a baby; he was one of the most allergy-prone children he had ever treated, and he kept a virtual encyclopedia of information regarding which medications he couldn't tolerate. 

 

The sheriff took a deep breath.  "Lyle, I'm sorry to have to tell you this."  He straightened up his uniform cap before he told him, "Your son's been taken into custody on suspicion of assault - and theft." 

 

"What? What are you talking about?"

 

"He admitted to Justin's brother that he had put the ketamine in his drink - after apparently stealing a supply of it from your medical supplies at the track."

 

Jennifer gasped; she wasn't sure what was more surprising - the fact that someone had intentionally drugged her son; that it was the doctor's son who had done it, or her older son had acted honorably in revealing what had happened.  "Doug?  You're talking about Doug?"

 

Renfro nodded.  "Yes.  Jared told your caretaker, Vic, what Doug had told him and Vic located one of my deputies at the track.  After talking with your son, the deputy discovered Doug trying to leave the scene and brought him down to the station for questioning.  He hasn't been formally charged yet; but based on what Jared told my deputy - and pending the results of the fingerprint and pharmacology tests that will be run - he may be subject to charges at some point."

 

Craig and Jennifer both started over the mention of their other son's name.  "Jared?" Jennifer asked.  "Jared told your deputy about it?" 

 

"Yes," Renfro confirmed.  "Apparently they were both at the track together today."

 

"I...I don't believe this," Doc Kesterson murmured in shock as he shook his head.  "My son - he wouldn't do that.  He doesn't even know your son, does he?" he asked as he turned to look at Jennifer and Craig. "What reason would he have to do that?" 

 

They shook their heads mutely, unable to give him a good answer.  They didn't understand any of this.

 

"I just can't accept my son would do that," the doctor told Renfro.  "I don't understand." 

 

"I'm sorry about this, Lyle," Renfro told him regretfully.  "But until we can get to the bottom of it, we'll have to hold him in custody, at least until there's a bail bond hearing." 

 

Kesterson nodded in resignation.  "As soon as I make sure that Justin is going to be okay, I'll head over to see him.  I'll find out exactly what happened - and if he's responsible..."  He let his statement go unfinished; truthfully, he wasn't sure _what_ he would do. He knew he would be profoundly disappointed no matter what.  But it wouldn't be the first time his son had been in trouble with the law, unfortunately; there had been previous incidents of vandalism and other minor crimes.  He just never expected he would do something so vile as this, however.

 

"Can we see him, Doc?" Craig asked him.  No matter what had happened regarding Kesterson's son and their son, they still trusted him implicitly. 

 

Brian peered at the doctor hopefully, wanting, no, _needing_ desperately to see Justin, but knowing deep in his heart that he would be lucky to get that privilege, especially with his family there. 

 

Kesterson nodded.  "Yes, I think his condition has stabilized sufficiently to allow visitors. But only for short periods of time. And make sure he's not overexerted. He needs to rest and regain his strength."  He paused.  "If his condition IS due to...Ketamine poisoning...there's really nothing that can be done except monitor his condition at least overnight and make sure he's comfortable.  The effects should wear off within a day or two.  With his allergies, though, we'll need to keep him at least overnight for observation."

 

Justin's parents nodded as they prepared to follow the doctor back into the emergency room.  Brian's face fell, just before Jennifer stopped and turned to face him.  "I'll get you back there to see him somehow," she vowed to him as he nodded in gratitude. Craig peered over at him for a moment silently before he and Jennifer turned and followed the doctor back into the examination area.

 

"I'll need to get a complete statement from you, Son," the sheriff told Brian as he nodded.  Lightly grasping Brian's elbow, the man steered him over to a fairly deserted area of the waiting room. Flipping open his notebook, he began to take down Brian's statement, asking occasional questions as Brian began to explain what he knew, periodically stealing a glance toward the double doors and wondering how soon he could get in to see Justin.

 

* * *

 

"In here," Doc Kesterson advised Jennifer and Craig as he turned to head into a room off to the left; Justin's parents were extremely relieved - as well as somewhat surprised - to see Justin turn his head to look over at them as they entered his room, his upper body slightly elevated in the bed.

 

"Justin," Jennifer cried out softly as she rushed over and sat on the edge of her son's bed to reach for his hand and hold it.  "How are you feeling, Sweetheart?" 

 

Craig walked over to stand next to her.  "How are you, Son?" Craig asked softly, noting the still ashen look to his son's face.  "You gave us quite the scare."

 

Justin swallowed, trying to work some moistness into his dry throat.  "Still...a little dizzy," he managed to croak out. 

 

Jennifer turned to look at the doctor.  "Can he have some water?"  Doc Kesterson nodded.  "Not too much," he advised. 

 

She reached over to grab a plastic glass of water with a bendy straw in it.  Holding it under his lips, Justin took a small sip of it before laying his head back as if exhausted. 

 

"What...what happened?" he managed to ask.  Even in his still-disoriented state, he didn't miss the look that passed between his mother and father.  "Mom?" he asked as he looked at her.

 

"Honey...this can wait..."

 

Justin shook his head.  "No, Mom.  T...Tell me." 

 

Jennifer bit her lip anxiously as she looked over at the doctor, torn as to what to do.  Not only was she hesitant about upsetting her son, but the father of her son's apparent antagonist was there in the room, making it doubly awkward. 

 

Dr. Kesterson sighed as he walked over to Justin's bed, effectively relieving Jennifer of her dilemma.  "Justin, something was evidently slipped into your water to make you disoriented, confused, and dizzy.  That is why you felt that way; why you still feel that way. But it will pass in a day or two, just as soon as it's out of your system. You're going to be fine," he assured him. 

 

"My water?"  He asked with a frown.  How could that be?  Someone wanted to hurt him?

 

The doctor nodded regretfully, taking it quite personally.  How could he tell the boy he had treated since childhood that his own son wanted to do him harm?  And why would he want to do that anyway? Even HE didn't have the answer to that.  "Yes, Justin.  At least that's the story.  Sheriff Renfro collected a couple of water bottles outside Headstrong's stable, and is having some tests run to confirm it."

 

"What?" he whispered hoarsely as his mother let him take another sip of water.  "What was it?" 

 

Doc Kesterson paused.  "It was ketamine."

 

"Horse tranquilizer?" he asked as the doctor nodded.  His face clouded over in sorrow.  "Why? Who...Who would do that to me?" 

 

The doctor took a deep breath before responding, "Someone, who I think, was jealous of your talent. Someone with a jaded sense of loyalty perhaps."

 

"They know...who did it?" 

 

Craig cleared his throat.  "Justin, the doctor said you need to rest. This can wait.  You're safe now.  Just lie back and try to relax.  We'll be right here at the hospital if you need anything, but for now you need to regain your strength and let the drug pass through your system.  Right, Doc?" he asked the doctor pointedly as he looked across the bed at Kesterson, making it clear he did not feel now was a good time to tell his son the whole story, even if Jared _had_ apparently done the 'noble' thing for a change. 

 

"He's right, Justin," the doctor agreed.  "I told them you needed your rest."

 

"But..."

 

"Justin, honey, please," Jennifer told her son.  "Just do as the doctor instructs.  There will be time to sort this all out later.  We're going to let you get some more rest now, but we'll be right outside in the waiting room, okay?" 

 

Justin sighed as he finally nodded.  Jennifer leaned over to give her son a kiss on the cheek as Craig squeezed his shoulder briefly in support. "Get some rest, Son. We're...glad you going to be okay."

 

Justin nodded as they turned to go.  Just before they could leave, however, he spoke up again before his condition pushed him back down into slumber. He still felt groggy and tired, but he had to know one last thing.  "Mom?" 

 

Jennifer turned to face her son.  "Yeah, Sweetheart?" 

 

"Brian..." he whispered.

 

Jennifer looked at Craig briefly before replying, "Yes, Justin? What about him?"

 

"He...He was at the race...To watch me.  Where...Where is he?  Back at...at the farm?" 

 

Jennifer had to smile slightly at that question.  "No," she told him.  "He's out in the waiting room. He came with us to find out how you were.  He's been really worried about you, too."

 

Justin's heart skipped a beat.  Brian was here, at the hospital!  "I...I want to see him," he told her firmly.

 

Craig sighed as his wife peered at her son sympathetically. She figured that would be the response, and she did promise Brian she would find a way to let him see Justin... "Honey, Brian's not going anywhere; you need to do as the doctor asked and get some rest first..."

 

Justin squirmed in the bed in agitation.  "No!" he said more loudly this time.  "No, I need to see him...please... "

 

"Justin, be reasonable," his father entreated, but Justin shook his head stubbornly.

 

"No...I won't rest until I get to talk to him..."

 

"Doc, maybe you can talk some sense into him..."

 

The doctor considered the pros and cons. It was obvious his patient wasn't going to do as they said until he could talk with this other boy; he could tell he was becoming agitated.  "Justin, it would be best if you would get some rest first."  Before Justin could open his mouth back up to protest, however, the doctor added, "But I have a feeling you won't do as I ask until you see him.  So I'll allow him to come back here - but just for a few minutes.  We'll be moving you up to a private room upstairs in a little while anyway, and then you can have visitors stay with you longer - as long as you don't overexert yourself.  Do we have a deal?" 

 

Justin readily accepted as he nodded back at him.  The doctor smiled before, taking Jennifer and Craig by the elbow, he led them out of the room and back into the hallway.

 

"Are you sure this is wise?" Craig asked the Doc and Jennifer as they stood just outside his door. 

 

"You think he would take no for an answer, Craig?" Jennifer asked him.  "You know how he is when he gets like this.  He won't rest at all until he sees Brian.  And I happen to think that Brian would be a calming influence on him right now."

 

"I'm not so sure about that," Craig countered.  He sighed.  "But yes, I know our son; and I know that he won't do as he's instructed until he gets his way with this.  We need to tell Brian, though, not to get him worked up about what happened.  That needs to be off-limits.  Besides, we don't know for sure if what we heard was correct or not."  He grimaced.  "Jared hasn't exactly been very trustworthy lately.  Who knows if he's telling the truth or not?" 

 

Doc Kesterson shuffled his feet awkwardly.  "Craig...Jennifer...I can't tell you how bad I feel about this.  If my son did have something to do with what happened..."

 

"We don't blame you, Doc," Jennifer assured him softly.  "Craig and I know only too well how your children can be a major disappointment at times."  Craig nodded at him in agreement as the doctor peered back at them gratefully.

 

"Thank you," he told them sincerely.  "I'm going to head over to the police station in a few minutes as soon as I hand over care to the ER doctor on duty.  I'll make sure he is fully informed about Justin's condition, however, and that all his known allergies are listed in his medical chart."

 

Jennifer and Craig nodded as they parted ways, the doctor heading over the ER station as they walked back toward the exit doors. 

 

As soon as they headed back outside into the waiting room, Brian jumped up from his chair, his face full of expectation mixed in with a little worry.  "How is he?" he asked urgently as he peered over at them as they walked over to him.

 

"He's fully conscious now," Jennifer told him as his eyes lit up with relief.  She smiled at him.  "And even though he's been told he needs to rest, he's refusing to do that...Until he sees you first."

 

Brian smiled.  "I can see him, then?" 

 

Craig sighed.  "Yes, but only for a few minutes.  He'll be moved to a regular room sometime soon, and he needs his rest."

 

Brian nodded, eager to go back to see him.  "What room is he in?" he asked urgently as he started to move away.

 

"Just a minute," Craig told him. Brian had to bite back a groan of annoyance as he turned to face him.  "He knows someone slipped the tranquilizer into his water, but nothing else; at least not about who might have done it.  I think it's best he not be told that yet. There's no need to get him worked up about what happened, and we don't even know if Jared's telling the truth yet or not.  For all we know, HE could have done it," he admitted sadly.  But it was the truth.  Jared has a great deal of hostility built up over his younger brother and this other boy.  As much as it pained him greatly to think about it, it was a possibility. 

 

Jennifer gasped.  "Craig, surely his own brother wouldn't..."

 

"I hope not," Craig hastened to tell her.  "I hope he's being up front about this whole affair. But until we know for sure what happened, there's no point whatsoever in speculating."  He peered over at Brian.  "I want your word, Kinney, that you won't discuss that with him.  Do we have an understanding?"

 

Brian huffed a little in irriration, but finally nodded.  At that moment, he would have pretty much promised this difficult man anything as long as it meant he could see Justin.  "Fine," he told him.

 

Craig nodded. "Very well, then. He's in Room 7."  Brian was moving toward the doors before Craig had even finished speaking.

 

"I hope we're doing the right thing," Craig murmured as he and Jennifer watched him disappear behind the double doors.  "I still don't really trust that boy around our son."

 

Jennifer placed her hand on Craig's shoulder.  "I don't know for sure, either," she admitted.  "But...I really think he does care about him, Craig.  Justin's almost a man now; he has to make his own decisions. We won't always be there to protect him from getting hurt." 

 

"I know," Craig conceded as he stood there, lost in thought.  He sighed.  "Let's go get some coffee.  I think it's going to be a long night."

 

* * *

 

Brian's pulse quickened as he neared Justin's room.  Pushing the partially ajar door open a little wider, his eyes immediately locked onto the slight figure lying partially upright in the bed, his eyes closed as he lay quietly on his back.  Walking into the room, his footsteps reverberated softly on the hard, tile floor as Justin's eyes fluttered open in reaction to the sound.

 

"Hey," he called over to him softly, unable to keep the soft smile of relief off his face. 

 

"Hey," Justin returned as Brian walked over and sat down in the chair just recently vacated by Justin's mother.  Scooting it closer to the bed, he peered into the still-too-pale face of his lover.  At least Justin was now awake and speaking, however; that was a vast improvement from before.  He reached out to clasp the hand that Justin extended toward him, savoring the touch of warmth that reassured him that he was, indeed, here, alive, and apparently going to be okay. 

 

He smiled tenderly at him, their hands intertwined together on the mattress between them.    "How you are feeling?"

 

"Like the room is spinning; it's not all bad, though; I can see a couple of you right now." 

 

Brian grinned.  "Well, I'm not sure you're up to handling that treat just yet."  His smile faded a little, however, as he admitted, "You scared the hell out of me when you fell off that sulky."  He swallowed. "I should have paid more attention when you mentioned you were dizzy before the race.  Maybe if I had gone after the doc when you had started feeling bad..."

 

"Brian...You...You couldn't have known...Not your fault," Justin croaked out as he reached for his half-full water cup.  Brian used his other hand to retrieve the cup from the portable tray and hold it under Justin's lips so he could take a couple of sips before placing it back down.  Justin odded at him gratefully.  "Brian?" 

 

"Yeah?" 

 

"Doc told me what happened."

 

Brian nodded.  "Yeah...I know."  His face darkened.  "I can't believe someone would do that."   He reached over to tenderly brush some hair back from Justin's eyes.  "The doctor mentioned how allergic you are to a lot of medicines.  If you had had a severe reaction to the tranquilizer..."  He shuddered, leaving the dreaded thought left unsaid.  It was too much to even comprehend.  He was just enormously relieved that Justin was apparently going to be okay.  His hand tightened slightly in Justin's grasp.  "I'm just glad that you're going to be all right," he told him softly with a slight smile.

 

Justin smiled back at him as he used his hand to pull Brian toward him with a surprising surge of strength.  Knowing instinctively what Justin wanted, Brian willingly pressed his lips against the other boy's, seeking reassurance in their kiss that Justin was, indeed, very much alive.  As they broke apart, he gazed into the now clear-blue eyes.  Licking his lips and feeling inexplicably nervous, he began, "Justin, I..." 

 

Justin's eyes widened slightly as he gazed at Brian's face and waited for him to continue.  What was he trying to say to him?  "Yes?" he prompted after a few seconds.

 

Brian wanted desperately to tell him how much he meant to him, how he had realized when Justin was hurt how deeply his feelings ran for him, but as Justin stared back at him with those amazing, blue eyes, he found his courage suddenly disappearing.  Taking a deep breath, he told him instead, "I should go so you can get some rest. The doctor said you would be moved to a regular room soon, and then you can have longer visitations.  Don't worry; I'm not leaving the hospital.  I'll be right outside."   

 

"No!" Justin pleaded.  "Stay...please..."

 

"Justin..." He sighed.  He never could say no to his boy.  "I promised your parents I wouldn't stay but a few minutes.  I'm lucky your father even let me back here," he reminded him.

 

Justin groaned in frustration, knowing that Brian was right on both counts.  "Just...Just a few more minutes?" he entreated.  "Please, Brian..."  His hold on Brian's hand tightened in a subtle move for him to stay. 

 

Brian quirked one side of his mouth up.  "You're a persuasive little fucker, you know that?" he chided him softly.  He brought their hands up to his mouth to kiss Justin's knuckles before placing them back down onto the bed between them.  "Okay," he agreed at last as Justin smiled sleepily at him.  "But just a few more minutes; or else your father no doubt will be in here pushing me out." 

 

He used his thumb to slowly stroke Justin's hand as he watched his lover struggle to stay awake.  "It's okay," he told Justin softly.  "Close your eyes, Farm Boy.  I'm not going anywhere."  The smooth, melodic tone of Brian's voice soothed Justin as he let his drowsiness overcome his desire to stay awake as his eyelids fluttered a couple of times before he finally closed them.  Several seconds later, his even breathing indicated he had fallen back asleep. 

 

Brian sat there for several more minutes, continuing to gaze into his face and feeling enormously relieved that he was going to be all right, until with extreme reluctance he removed his hand and quietly scooted back from his chair to rise to his feet.  Taking one, last look at Justin to make sure he was sleeping comfortably, he finally turned and exited the room, his thoughts already filled with the next time he could see him again.


	22. A Little TLC, A Lot of Sinister

_Brian aids Justin in his recovery, while his uncle begins to consider the unthinkable regarding his son's death._

 

_One Hour Later - Walker Farm_

 

Will scowled as he glanced over at the rooster wall clock above the sink, his cup of coffee long forgotten; it was clear by the way darkness was fast approaching that it was well past the time when the afternoon races at Red Mill would be over, but still no Brian.  "Where IS that boy?" he growled at Sarah, who was sitting on his right side.  "I knew it was a mistake to allow him to go."

 

"You think something's wrong?" Sarah fretted. She had peered out the front door over at the Taylor farm a few minutes ago, noticing there were no lights on or any obvious sign of activity. Normally by now, they would have returned home from the day's races.  And her calls to their landline phone went unanswered.

 

Will's jaw was set in a hard line as he muttered, "Well, I know one thing. Someone's going to have a lot of explaining to do when he gets home. And it'll be the LAST time I allow him to go to the races to be with the Taylor boy."  Both of them were well aware of the budding relationship between their nephew and the youngest Taylor son, and it was obvious that Brian hadn't expressed a desire to attend the races because he wanted to see the harness racing.  "There's always nothing but trouble down at the racetrack, Sarah," he told his wife, his lips pressed into a tight line as he recalled the last time they had been there. 

 

Sarah reached over to grab her husband's wrist.  "Will, please.  Don't jump to conclusions until we know what's going on." She sighed.  "It's days like these when I wish we had another way of contacting them."  Like the two of them, however, the Taylors had never really seen a need for a cellphone.  So for the time being, until they could find something out, they were left to wonder.  _Although..._ "Will," Sarah asked softly, "you think we should call the sheriff's office and see if he knows anything?"

 

Will rolled his eyes in disdain.  " _Now_ who's jumping to conclusions, missy?"

 

"Well, there has to be a reason why...."  She jumped as she heard a rapid series of knocks on the back door a few feet way.  "Lord have mercy!" she exclaimed as her heart began to pound in surprise.  She began to get up, only to have Will motion for her to remain seated. 

 

Scooting back from his chair, Will walked over to the backdoor and flipped on the outside light, pushing back the filmy, ruffled, ivory-colored curtain on the top part of the door to observe Vic Grassi standing there.  "It's okay," he informed his wife as she nodded.  "It's Vic." 

 

She sighed in relief.  "Good, then they must be back, then," she decided as Will opened the door to admit the other man.

 

"Vic," he greeted him politely as he walked in and nodded over at Sarah as she stood up.  Will looked outside the door for Brian, but found no one else there.  "We were beginning to wonder what was going on.  Where's our nephew?  Don't tell me he's still over at the Taylor farm; I told him to get back as soon as he could." 

 

Will and Sarah both noticed an odd expression flicker across Vic's face as he replied, "That's why I'm here.  No, he's not over at the farm," he told them.  He paused for a few seconds.  "Now before you go getting all worried," he hastily added, "Brian is fine. But he's at the hospital in Lexington with Justin."

 

"What?!" Sarah exclaimed in shock.  "Why? What happened?"

 

Vic let out a deep breath, knowing this wasn't going to be easy for them to hear.  "Let's sit down, shall we?" he suggested as the three of them walked over to the kitchen table a few feet away and took a seat. 

 

"Vic?" Will prodded impatiently as soon as they sat down.

 

Clasping his hands together tightly, Vic began to explain what had transpired at the track earlier, watching Sarah's face turn pale in horror and Will's eyes darken with steady fury.

 

* * *

 

"You're saying the Kesterson kid confessed to tampering with Justin's water bottle?  Tranquilizer?" Will could barely spit the words out.  "Deliberately?" 

 

Vic nodded.  "Yeah. That's at least the story Jared is claiming.  Being Doc's son, the boy would have certainly had access to the ketamine."

 

"Oh, dear God!" Sarah cried out, dabbing her eyes with the end of her half-apron.  "I...I can't believe this!  You think Justin is going to be okay? He's such a sweet boy.  Will, if anything happens to him, too..." Her unsaid words hung in the air; Will was silently thinking the same thing as he reached over to squeeze her hand.

 

"Now, don't go thinking the worst, Sarah," he told her quietly, a painful lump in his throat over the thought.  It was almost like going through the entire tragedy with Dale all over again.  He looked over at Vic.  "You did say Justin was unconscious but breathing okay when he was taken to the hospital?" he probed.  "That's all you know?" 

 

Vic nodded regretfully.  "Yeah, other than I know Brian was hitching a ride with Craig and Jennifer to the hospital.  He felt like he should be there.  He _wanted_ to be there," he explained.  "And I told him I would come over and let you know what's going on.  I'm sure Craig and Jennifer will bring him back home, once they know that Justin's okay.  I...I hope that's all right with you.  There really wasn't time for him to think about it too long, since Craig and Jennifer wanted to get to the hospital right away."  Vic peered over at them to explain, "He cares a great deal about Justin, and I could tell he was really worried about him." 

 

"We're beginning to realize that," Sarah told him with a smile.  She glanced over at Will, who curtly nodded at her. Even though he didn't say a word, Sarah still knew what it meant.  "It's okay," she told Vic.   "He did the right thing.  I have a feeling they couldn't have stopped Brian from going even if they wanted to."  She sighed worriedly.  "I wish we knew how Justin was doing, though. I've met the Doc's son, Doug, before.  He always seemed like a wild sort of boy....But I would have never expected him to do something like this.  I just don't understand."

 

Vic shook his head.  "The Doc is such a well-respected man around here.  It defies belief.  But it goes to show, you can do your best to raise up your child the right way, but it doesn't mean they won't get into trouble if they fall in with the wrong crowd."

 

"You mean Jared," Will interjected sharply.  "That boy always _has_ had a mean streak in him."  Although, he could recall that the older Taylor boy hadn't always been that way. Back when he was friends with their son, they would occasionally get into some rowdy fun - typical of being out in the country with limited resources in which to entertain oneself - but it seemed like once Dale died the oldest Taylor son had turned toward a more vindictive, rebellious crowd of boys.  And he had become particularly competitive with his younger brother, too, once Justin had gotten older. 

 

"Well, for once Jared did the right thing, though.  If he hadn't come and found me - and talked to the deputy about it- we might never have known what happened." 

 

"You don't think he had something to do with it himself? I've seen that Kesterson boy over at the Taylor farm a lot - at least until Jared was kicked out the other day." 

 

"I don't know," Vic told them honestly.  "He could be saying what he did just to deflect some of the blame from himself. I know he's been jealous of Justin's relationship with your nephew.  I'm still not convinced  he's totally blameless here." 

 

Sarah's eyes grew wide as Will nodded mutely, lost in thought.  "Surely you don't think he would hurt his own brother?"

 

"I don't know," Vic replied.  "I would like to think he wouldn't.  But I really don't know this time.  He was really upset when he was kicked out of the house after the town social."

 

Will took a deep breath.  "Vic..."

 

"Yeah?" 

 

Will held on tightly to his wife's hand for strength.  "Did...Was there anything that came up about a connection to what happened to Justin today...and what happened to our son a few years ago?"  He had to know, as painful as it was.

 

Sarah was horrified at the thought.  "Will, they said Dale's death was an accident..."

 

"That's what we were told," her husband told her curtly, his eyes narrowed.  "I don't believe it.  I didn't believe it then and I don't believe it now, especially after what's just happened.  It's too big a coincidence, and it happened on the same track.  I don't know this Kesterson boy very well, but I _do_ know he's the same age that Dale would have been, so they had to know each other from school; it's too small for him not to.  What's to say he wasn't both jealous of Justin now and our son then?  Huh?  Is anyone checking that out? Because if they're not, I don't care WHAT they told us.  I'm going to insist that they do." 

 

"Will..."

 

"I mean it, Sarah!  I want justice for our son!  Until we get some answers, I'll never believe how someone as conscientious as our son could have been the victim of a careless accident."  He turned to their guest.  "Do you know whether they're going to ask this boy about our son's accident?"

 

Vic shook his head regretfully.  "No, Will, I'm sorry. That's about all I know.  I expect Craig or Jennifer will be calling the house any time, though, to give me an update.  If I hear anything else, I'll be sure to let you know right away."  He scooted back from the table.  "I'd better get going," he told them.  "Emmett's back at the house, and I need to make sure everything's locked up before it gets too dark." 

 

A sudden thought occurred to Sarah as she asked, "Headstrong?"  She knew Justin was by far more important, but she also knew how much the Taylors had come to depend upon not only their son, but also the horse to sustain their income.  "Did he get hurt, too?"

 

"He's fine," Vic assured her as Sarah nodded.  "Seems a little agitated; he's probably wondering where Justin is. But he's okay; I brought him home, and he's back in his stall."

 

"You're a good man, Vic," Sarah told him with a smile as the man blushed over the compliment.  "Thank you for coming over and telling us what's going on.  I'll be praying that Justin recovers quickly." 

 

"I'm sure he'd appreciate that," Vic told her with a smile as he turned to go.  "Will," he added in acknowledgment of the other man.  "I'll call you if I hear anything else."

 

"You do that, Vic," Sarah told him as the two rose to stand.  She walked over to the door to let Vic out before turning around and letting out a deep sigh.  "Poor Justin," she murmured.  "He doesn't deserve this.  He has to be all right." 

 

Will walked over and impetuously pulled her into his arms as he swept her up into a gentle embrace.  "I know, Missy," he told her softly as she sniffled against his plaid shirt.  "I know." 

 

* * *

 

_Same Time - Fayette County Sheriff's Office_

 

Billy Renfro glanced up from his seat behind his desk as Doc Kesterson knocked on the open doorframe.  "Lyle.  Come on in," he told him softly as the older man walked over and sat down across from him.

 

"How's my son?" he asked quietly as soon as he was seated.

 

"Not very talkative," Billy reported as he wiped his brow with an old-fashioned, white handkerchief. The old county courthouse - where the sheriff's quarters was located - was over a century old, and the air conditioning system was passable at best; at least on good days.  Today, however, the system that normally rattled like crazy whenever it was pumping out cold air was strangely smooth, meaning the compressor wasn't kicking in. As a result, only lukewarm air came out of the registers, making his small, nondescript office fairly stifling, even on this temperate day.  "He pretty much clammed up once he got here. Says he wants an attorney before he says anything, which _is_ his right." 

 

The doctor shook his head sadly.  "Billy, you know my boy has been in trouble before, and is certainly no angel. But I just can't see him trying to hurt Justin like this.  It just doesn't make sense to me."

 

Renfro shrugged.  "I've been in this business long enough to know that even those we think we know well can do things we would never expect if they think they have the right motive.  He and that other Taylor boy are pretty close, aren't they?  Rumor has it that he's been staying with him at his apartment in town. That true?" 

 

The doctor nodded his head.  "Yeah...he's been there for a little while now.  Apparently Craig got tired of his boy's antics and told him to either grow up or get out, and he wasn't willing to take responsibility for his actions, so he left." 

 

Billy nodded.  "Yeah, that Jared is no angel, either."  He paused for a moment.  "I've asked for a rush on the fingerprint and chemical analysis of the water bottles we collected. So we should know fairly quickly whether or not your son's fingerprints are on the bottle if he left any, along with Jared's; since they've both been in minor skirmishes before, I wouldn't put it past them to have collaborated on this together." 

 

"What about the Walker's nephew?" the doctor inquired.  "He's been in trouble with the law, too.  He told you as much." 

 

Billy nodded.  "Yeah, I had him checked out.  What he told me is true; he's currently on probation for vehicle theft, and is in the temporary custody of the Walkers until at least the end of the summer.  The fact that he came clean about his record leads me to think he's on the up-and-up and not involved with what happened, though; that, and the way he's been so concerned about the younger Taylor boy.  He could be playing me," he admitted, knowing he probably shouldn't be telling the doctor all this about the case.  But this wasn't a big-city precinct; it was a small, hole-in-the-wall outfit where everyone knew everybody's else's business.  And this man had been his friend for a long time.  He wasn't about to mince words now.  "But I've been doing this long enough to be a good judge of character, and something tells me that Kinney didn't have anything to do with it."

 

"But my son did."

 

Billy nodded.  "Personally?  Yeah, I'm sorry, Lyle, but I do think he's involved somehow.  Maybe Jared, too.  I'm going to reserve judgment for now on that."

 

"Billy...God, you don't know how much it hurts me to have to ask this.  But...What about the Walker boy?  What if there's some connection between these two incidents?  It defies the odds as just a coincidence," he admitted.  He hated to think his son could be involved with both crimes, but what would be the odds of two sulky drivers being stricken at the same track?  He supposed it could happen, but he always _did_ think something was remiss with Dale Walker's death, even if he DID sign off on the death certificate stating it was an accident.  They couldn't prove otherwise - the pharmacology results from the autopsy had come back clean - but what if his death was the result of some other method?  Or what if they simply hadn't run the right drug panel? They wouldn't have necessarily checked for ketamine; typically that wasn't done.  What if he had missed something, and his son WAS involved somehow?  He closed his eyes briefly in dismay; fearful that perhaps his worst nightmare might be coming true. But he had to know the truth; they ALL had to know the truth.

 

Billy hesitated for a moment.  "Well, I'd be lying if I didn't say I've been thinking about that a lot since Justin's accident earlier today," he finally admitted.  "Obviously you have, too. Are you saying you don't think it was an accident after all now?"

 

"I don't know!" Kesterson cried out in anguish.   "But...But if my son had anything at all to do with either one of these accidents, God help me, but I need to know.  We _all_ need to know; especially the Walkers.  If my son had anything at all to do with their son's death...I don't think I will ever be able to look them in the eye again."

 

"Lyle, they admire and respect you. They would never accuse you of culpability in their son's death. We cannot control everything our children do - or what outside influences they are exposed to." 

 

Lyle rubbed his hand through his hair and sighed.  "But this is their child's death we're talking about!" he cried out before letting out a deep breath to try and relieve some of his tension.  "Can I see my son, Billy?  I promise you...If he had anything at all to do with either Justin's accident OR Dale's death, you won't _need_ an attorney to get the story out of him."

 

"Lyle, you can see him - and I appreciate what you're trying to do.  But if he IS guilty of either crime, I would be remiss if I didn't advise you to wait until he has an attorney present for his own good." 

 

The doctor nodded sorrowfully as he stood up to shake the sheriff's hand.  "Thank you, Billy.  I see your point.  I'll keep that in mind."

 

The sheriff stood up from the other side of the desk.  "How _is_ the Taylor boy, by the way?" he asked softly.

 

The doctor smiled.  "He's stable and has been moved to a private room.  He'll be held for overnight observation, but if he progresses as expected, he should be able to go home tomorrow.  The effects should wear off within a day or two." 

 

Billy nodded.  "That's good news," he told him as the Doc nodded back at him.  "Okay, I'll take you to see your son now." 

 

Walking over to his friend, he placed a comforting hand on the other man's shoulder, knowing that no one was going to be a winner this evening.

 

* * *

 

_Lexington General Hospital - Next Morning_

 

"Jen," Craig whispered to his wife as he sat down next to her in one of the patient visitor chairs in Justin's private room.  He gently nudged his wife's shoulder as she lifted her head sleepily at the sound of her husband's voice and smelled the aroma of the coffee held in front of her.  Nodding her thanks, she reached for the paper cup to take a sip, gazing over at her son lying in his hospital bed - and the young man whose head was currently resting on Justin's chest, their hands linked together on the mattress.

 

She smiled at the sight, noticing both boys were sleeping presently. Once their son had been moved here to his second-floor, private room, Brian had been practically glued to his side.  As she had figured, Brian had wound up being a calming influence on her son as she watched them murmuring together earlier; occasionally she would see a soft smile break out on one of their faces, and at one time Justin blushed over something Brian had said as he sat by his bedside. But the looks between the two of them left no mistake that both boys were glad to be in each other's company.

 

Craig, to his credit, had seemed to accept the fact that their son needed Brian there with him, and had taken a seat several feet away with her against the far wall to allow them some semblance of privacy.  He had even slipped out for a while earlier in search of a guest phone where he could call the Walkers to make sure they were aware of their nephew's whereabouts and to apprise them of Justin's condition. 

 

Justin finally had to be told to go to sleep after a couple hours of nonstop, quiet conversation between the two of them.  Now, he appeared to be resting quite comfortably, leading her to hope that he would, indeed, be allowed to go home sometime this morning. 

 

Craig sipped his coffee, the tiredness of the past several hours seeping through all to the way to his bones.  He heard Jennifer let out a slow breath, as he peered over at his son and the boy who continued to remain an enigma to him.  He still wasn't sure of Kinney's motives, but he had to give the boy credit.  He had stuck by Justin's side since the moment he had fallen off the sulky, and had been forthcoming in volunteering information about his prior troubles with the law.  Of course, that could have just been his way of saving his skin. But he had to weigh that against Jared's statement that Doug Kesterson had been the one to tamper with Justin's water.  Everything seemed to point toward the doctor's son as the culprit. And he couldn't deny that Justin was obviously enamored with this boy.  Good or bad, then, it seemed that Kinney was here to stay, at least for the short term.  What would happen later this summer, however, when Brian had to leave?  He hated to see his son's heart broken, and he suspected that is what would happen. 

 

"Penny for your thoughts," Jen whispered then as their eyes met.

 

He sighed.  "Where do I start?" he told her softly, careful not to disturb the two boys still sleeping several feet away.  He rubbed his face with his hand.  "I think at least we'll be able to take Justin home today."

 

Jennifer nodded.  "Thank God.  When he fell off that sulky..."

 

"I know," Craig replied.  "I was thinking the worst, especially when he didn't wake up."  He pursed his lips together thoughtfully.  "I'm sure he'll need to rest for a few days back home.  I guess we'll have to get Vic to exercise Headstrong for a while.  Not sure how we'll get everything else done around the farm, but we'll find a way."

 

Jennifer reached over to squeeze her husband's hand.  "At least Jared spoke up in support of his brother this time," she pointed out.

 

Craig nodded.  "Yeah.  I hope it was out of love for him, and not over fear that he would be implicated along with Doug, though."

 

"I'm sure it was," Jennifer told him with conviction.  "Despite everything's that happened, Craig, he still loves his little brother."

 

"Yeah, I guess," he conceded as he peered over at the two boys.  "I'm still not sure what to make of _that_ boy, though," he told Jennifer as he continued to study Brian from across the room.  "But apparently we're stuck with him hanging around our son.  I'm afraid Justin's going to wind up being hurt, Jen."

 

"Maybe," she admitted as she peered over at the two boys whose hands were clasped together, even in sleep.  She smiled softly.  "But I think they both care a lot about each other.   Whatever happens at the end of the summer, all we can do is be there to support our son. He will have to make his own decisions.  He's not a little boy anymore." 

 

"No," Craig whispered, a lump in his throat.  "No, he's not." 

 

Their conversation just then was interrupted by the doctor on call walking into the room, a salt-and-pepper haired man by the name of Jonas Snyder.  Nodding at them politely, he approached his patient's bed, amused as well as touched by the open display of affection between the two boys.  Gently shaking Brian's shoulder, he waited for the dark-haired boy to sleepily lift his head and blink his eyes at him before he quietly spoke to his patient.  Brian reluctantly dropped his grip on Justin's hand to scoot back from the bed to give the doctor more room.

 

"Justin?" the doctor called out politely but authoritatively.  "Mr. Taylor?  I need to examine you."

 

Justin stirred in the bed and groaned slightly before his eyes fluttered open.  He appeared disoriented for a few seconds as if he didn't know where he was, before his eyes settled on Brian, who smiled back at him.  Their eyes locked on each other's as Justin recalled what had happened before he looked over at the doctor and nodded. 

 

"If you all will excuse us for a few minutes, I'd like to examine Justin privately," the doctor explained as Jen and Craig rose to their feet, taking a few seconds to stretch backward to try and remove some of the fatigue. 

 

Brian, too, rose from his seat, taking a moment to reach over and squeeze Justin's hand briefly.  "I'll be right back," he promised him as Justin nodded.

 

Shuffling out of the room, Brian stood a little awkwardly out in the hallway, leaning against the wall opposite Justin's parents.  Finally, after a few moments, he spoke up.  "Uh....I'm assuming my aunt and uncle know where I'm at." 

 

Craig nodded.  "Yes, I called them a little while ago and told them what happened.  I told them we would bring you back home as soon as possible."

 

"Thanks," Brian replied softly as Craig acknowledged his response with another terse nod. 

 

"It's we who should thank you, Brian," Jennifer told him with a smile. 

 

Brian frowned.  "Me?"

 

She nodded.  "Yes.  I think Justin's been able to rest more easily, knowing you were here with him."  She noticed the other boy actually blush in response as he nodded, their conversation interrupted as Dr. Snyder came walking back out of Justin's room. 

 

"How's he doing, Doctor?" Jennifer asked as he stopped in front of them. 

 

The doctor looked at his chart for a few more seconds before closing it.  He smiled.  "Everything's looking good.  Your son apparently had a restful night and is progressing as expected.  He can be discharged this morning, provided he go home and rest for a few days until he's feeling completely normal again.  He is not to do anything strenuous for the next 72 hours, though, and if he feels any sort of dizziness or nausea - or anything else out of the norm - you should contact us immediately.  But I think he will be just fine in a few days.  He should schedule a follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks with his family physician, however."  He swung his stethoscope over his neck before adding, "I'll have the discharge papers prepared."

 

"Thank you, Doctor," Jennifer murmured gratefully in relief as the doctor nodded.  She didn't point out to the doctor how ironic it was that he wanted Justin to be examined in a couple weeks by the father of the boy accused of causing his problems in the first place.  She didn't blame Doc Kesterson for what his son might have done, but she had to admit it was going to be pretty damn awkward just the same.  She wondered, too, what was going on at the sheriff's office, and what they had found out.

 

"Doctor?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Do you know anything about the toxicology report they were going to run on our son's water bottles from the stable?"

 

"Yes, they did come back from the lab," the doctor reported.  He hesitated.  "I'm not sure actually that I'm at liberty to disclose the results, since there is an ongoing police investigation involved..."

 

"Doctor, that is our son," Craig told him curtly.  "I think we have a right to know, police investigation or not."   

 

The doctor eyed him thoughtfully for a few moments, feeling the heat of everyone's stare on him, before he nodded.  "Very well," he told him.  "The lab did find traces of ketamine in the samples just as the police suspected." 

 

Brian's jaw twitched in anger as his fingers dug into the fleshy palm of his hands.   As he stood there, he realized  the only problem was, he didn't know whether to be angry at just Doug Kesterson, Jared, or both.  He still didn't trust Jared, and he wouldn't put it past the other Taylor brother to have had something to do with Justin's injuries, despite his attempt at playing hero.  He _did_ know one thing, though; if he ever saw Doug Kesterson out on the street or anywhere near Justin, he would beat him to a fucking, bloody pulp, troubles with the law or not. 

 

Craig nodded tersely, his blood boiling over someone intentionally poisoning his youngest son.  "Thank you," he told him as the doctor nodded before turning to head back down the hallway.  "That boy is going to pay for what he did," he growled.  For once, Brian actually concurred with him as he nodded his head silently in agreement.

 

"Craig..." Jennifer grasped his arm.  "Not now; not here.  Let's concentrate for now on getting Justin home, okay?  I don't want him getting upset about what happened."

 

Craig let out a deep breath, trying to diffuse some of his anger.  "Okay," he finally agreed, his lips pursed tightly together.  "But if he IS guilty of hurting our son, that boy is going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law; I don't care HOW much I might respect his father.  There is NO excuse for what he did."

 

Jennifer nodded.  "Come on," she urged him and Brian.  "Let's go tell Justin the good news about his discharge."  Impulsively, she reached over to grab Brian's arm as she tugged gently on him in a subtle invitation for him to lead.  He nodded at her as they all turned to head back into Justin's room.

 

* * *

 

_Two Hours Later..._

 

Sarah glanced up from her place on the back porch as she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye, noticing Brian walking down the dirt road they shared with the Taylor farm next door.  "Will!  Brian's back!" she called out to her husband, who was out in the barn. 

 

Wiping his hands on his jeans, Will rose from the wooden stool he had been sitting on to walk outside, just in time to see his nephew trudging over from the adjoining property.  It was apparent from his drooped shoulders and the lines around his nephew's eyes that he was worn out. 

 

Sarah rushed off the porch and made a beeline straight toward her nephew.  "Brian!" she called out as she swept his taller frame against her smaller one and wrapped her arms around him comfortingly.  "We're glad that you're home."

 

She pulled back to look up into his eyes.  "You look exhausted," she commented as Will came walking up to them.  "How's Justin? Did he get to come back home?" 

 

Brian nodded as he rubbed his hand over his mouth tiredly.  "Yeah, he's up in his bedroom resting.  He wasn't too happy about that," he reported wryly, "but his mother and father insisted."  He looked over at Will, who nodded in greeting.  "Hi, Uncle Will.  I...I hope it was okay for me to stay at the hospital last night while Justin was being checked out." 

 

Will snorted.  "Would it have done any good to tell you no, Brian? You would have gone anyway; I know you. Stubborn as a mule."

 

Brian opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it.  He really wasn't in the mood to argue, and besides; his uncle had a point.  He _would_ have gone regardless, just to make sure that Justin was okay.  He shrugged instead.  "I wanted to be sure he would be all right," he explained.

 

"Of course," Sarah cooed reassuringly as she flashed a warning look over at her husband.  "I'm so glad he's going to be okay," she told him as she released him from her embrace.  "I left some breakfast warming in the oven from this morning; come on and I'll fix you a plate.  You must be starving." 

 

"Thanks," Brian told her with an affectionate smile.  "But I'd like to go take a shower first and change."  He looked over at his uncle.  "...And I guess I have chores to do, too."

 

To his surprise, though, his uncle shook his head.  "Those can wait a while," he told him tersely.  "Best be doing what your aunt says first.  Head on in and freshen up.  You can work on chores this afternoon and get caught up."

 

Brian nodded as he turned and headed up the back porch steps and into the house, leaving Sarah and Will momentarily alone.

 

"I'm so thankful Justin is going to be okay," Sarah murmured as she briefly looked skyward in gratitude before her eyes fell onto her husband's enigmatic-looking face.  He was deep in thought, his brows furrowed and making the wrinkles on his sunbaked skin even more pronounced.  "Will?  What is it?" she asked in concern.

 

Will blinked as he settled his gaze on his wife.  "Just doing some thinking," he told her.

 

"About...?" 

 

Will sighed deeply, almost mournfully as he told her what he already suspected, "About our son.  And what really happened that day.  This is too big a coincidence. I'm going to call Sheriff Renfro and see what's going on."

 

"Will, we don't know if there's even..."

 

"I understand that, Sarah," he replied tersely before she could finish, his jaw set with determination.  "But we will. We will."  Before she could say anything else, he turned and headed into the house. 

 

* * *

 

_One Hour Later..._

 

Brian stole a glance over at his uncle in the barn as he sat on a bale of straw, wrench in hand while he attempted to coax some more life out of his uncle's antique tractor.  It had decided to die on his uncle earlier this morning, and he had grudgingly asked him if he could take a look at it and 'work his magic' on it, in his words.  He had to grin a little at that description; at least his uncle seemed to think he was good for something. He had to admit he had been surprised earlier when he hadn't complained about him missing his chores. But he was making up for lost time now, however, telling Brian that the south field needed tilling once he got the tractor started up again.

 

His uncle was currently sitting on the dirt floor in front of an overturned push mower a few feet away, using a long, metal file to try and scrape some dried grass clippings from the sides.  From all the banging and grunting he was doing, however, something told Brian he had more than cleaning the mower on his mind.  "Uncle Will?" he called out.

 

His uncle stopped his momentary activity to peer over at him.  "Yeah?" 

 

Brian took a deep breath.  "I...I couldn't help overhearing you earlier...on the phone."

 

"Is that right?  What did you hear, Brian?"

 

"It...It sounded like you were talking to the sheriff...about Dale."  He could see his uncle tensing up then, which told him he had hit the mark.  He was afraid for just a moment that his uncle would promptly clam up and refuse to say anything further, but to his surprise he didn't.

 

"Maybe I was," was the concession.  He had gone inside while Brian was upstairs to call Sheriff Renfro about his suspicions.  Apparently Brian had been able to overhear what had been said.

 

Brian nodded.  "You think there's a connection between what happened to Justin and my cousin, don't you?"

 

Will placed the file down onto the ground to face his nephew.  Before, he would have just brushed him off and not said anything. But what Sarah had said to him before about having to face what happened - plus what had transpired with Justin, along with his nephew's willingness to face up to his responsibilities - made him rethink that strategy.  He knew not talking about his son wouldn't bring him back - nor lessen the pain.  In fact, he was beginning to think it just made it worse.  "I don't know," he told him truthfully.  "But I think I owe it to my son to find out if there is."

 

Brian nodded.  "Did you talk to him about the toxicology results?  About what Dr. Snyder told us this morning?"

 

"Well, he wasn't going to openly discuss it, but when he found out I knew about it already, he figured there wasn't any point in denying it.  But he wouldn't tell me anything about what he had found out from Doc Kesterson's son.  Said it was confidential.  The only thing HE would say was that the Doc was there earlier and talked to his son, but nothing more than that."  His voice dripped with disdain as he scowled.  "I hate how the criminals always get preferential treatment instead of the victims."  His eyes widened a few seconds later as he realized what he had said.  "I...What I mean is..."

 

"It's okay," Brian interrupted him softly.  "I understand.  Besides, I wouldn't exactly say I got off scot free anyway." 

 

His uncle crooked one side of his mouth up slightly at that statement before his face turned serious again.  "I want the truth about what happened to my son, Brian.  For a long time, I thought if I ignored it, it would go away and that it didn't matter what happened.  Dale would still be dead." 

 

"But..."

 

Will held up his hand to stop Brian from speaking.  "...But I think this is too much of a coincidence; I want _answers_ now.  I don't want anyone else to get hurt.  Justin could have been killed today - just like Dale was."  He took a deep breath and let it out.  "Too many of us have already been hurt."  He paused as he looked over at his nephew, so reminiscent in appearance of his own son.  "I want his case reopened and reexamined, and I won't rest until that's done.  I won't be silent any longer.  I owe that much to my son - and to the Taylor boy."

 

Brian nodded.  "Uh, Uncle...speaking of Justin..."

 

Will noticed his nephew seemed uncomfortable for a change.  "Yes?" 

 

"Justin can't do anything very strenuous for the next few days until he's feeling better. And with Jared no longer at the house, I...I thought they might need some extra help."

 

"Oh?" Will replied nonchalantly, knowing exactly what was coming. "Well, Emmett's a strapping boy, and his Uncle Vic is there, too.  I'm sure they'll manage."

 

"Well, Vic will have his hands full taking care of the horses, especially with having to exercise Headstrong and all, and Emmett's not very used to the routine over there.  I'm sure I can handle my chores here as well as some of theirs.  I'd like to help them out until Justin's fully recovered. It's the neighborly thing to do, isn't it?"

 

To his relief, Brian noticed his uncle cracking a smile, despite the serious subject matter they had just been discussing.  "What?" Brian asked a little defensively.  It sounded perfectly logical to him.

 

"Brian, if you want to go see how Justin is doing, you can do it as soon as you get my tractor started and the south field tilled.  He's not going anywhere, but the land won't till itself." 

 

Brian eyed him sheepishly, feeling his face warm.  Was he that transparent?  He guessed that he was, at least when it came to Justin.  Rather than trying to contradict his uncle, then, instead he nodded, grateful that at least he wasn't going to forbid it. Truth be told, he would have sneaked out and gone to see Justin anyway; the need to see him and make sure he was okay was almost palpable.  He couldn't think of anything else since he had gotten home. 

 

Turning back to the tractor with renewed determination, he had it started within a minute, leaping on it as soon as he was sure it wouldn't sputter again and come to a stop.  In no time, he was bumping along on top of the tractor seat, his thoughts focused on a blond-haired boy next door as he hurried toward the south field to commence his work.

 

* * *

_Windswept Farm - Late Afternoon_

Brian took the back steps two at a time up to the Taylor's back porch, unheeding of how eager he seemed.  But he was; he couldn't wait to check on Justin and make sure he was doing okay.  He was sure he would have heard if he had suffered any sort of setback, but he still couldn't wait to see him. 

 

As soon as he stopped by the back door, he had to smile at the sound of the other boy's voice filtering from the house through the screen door. 

 

"I am not a cripple, Mom!" he heard him growling.  "I am not going to lie on this couch forever." 

 

"Justin, it's not forever!  You heard what the doctor said.  You have to take it easy for the next few days."

 

"That doesn't mean I have to lie here and have you spoon feed me and fluff up my pillow like some invalid!"

 

"Justin, why are you being so stubborn?" 

 

Brian snickered.  _They're just now finding that out?_   He decided to help Mrs. Taylor out by knocking forcefully on the back screen door then, hearing her tell her son she would be right back and not to move.

 

"Wouldn't think of it," he heard Justin mutter sarcastically from the living room as footsteps sounded.

 

Jennifer peered through the screen door and sighed in relief.  "Thank God!  Maybe you can talk some sense into him," she muttered as she swung the door open.  "He's in the living room."

 

Brian grinned.  "I heard.  Um...I wanted to see how he was doing...and to offer my help with the chores; that is, if you need me to.  I thought with him being laid up for a few days that you might need the extra help."

 

Jennifer smiled at Brian gratefully, touched by his thoughtfulness.  "That's very kind of you, Brian," she told him.  "But I think we're okay for the moment.  Craig's out back with Vic, feeding the horses, and Emmett volunteered to walk some of them.  So I think they can handle it for now. But that's very thoughtful of you.  I will keep that in mind."

 

Brian nodded.  "I'll be glad to help any way I can," he told her softly. And he would; for Justin's sake. He would do anything for him.

 

She nodded back at him.  "The best thing you can help me with right now is to go talk some sense into my son."

 

"Mom, who is it?" Justin called out from the living room. 

 

"You'll see," she told him mysteriously, a smile on her face.  

 

"Tell me now, or I'm coming in there and find out."

 

Brian chuckled as Jennifer sighed in exasperation. 

 

"No, you're not; you're staying put," Brian told him firmly, his voice raised so he could clearly hear him.

 

"Brian?"

 

"Stay where you are; I'll be right there," Brian commanded as he peered over at Justin's mother. 

 

"Good luck," she teased.  "I hope you have better luck with him than I did." 

 

Brian grinned. "Thanks."  He turned and headed down the short hallway toward the living room, his pulse speeding up a bit at the notion of seeing Justin again.  As he reached the front of the house, he found the other boy lying on the couch long ways, a tray sitting neglected on the coffee beside him.  He noticed that Justin's breakfast was only half-eaten, along with a half-empty glass of orange juice, so he knew immediately that his lover wasn't quite as recovered as he might want everyone to believe.  A couple of pillows were propped up behind his head, and a crocheted, blue-and-cream colored throw was covering up the bottom half of his body, which was clad in a faded, light gray, t-shirt.

 

Brian walked over and sat down on the edge of the couch as he peered down at his lover; he was heartened to notice that Justin's eyes were clear and his face had more of its natural color.  "Are you being a difficult patient, Mr. Taylor?" 

 

The blond's eyes flashed.  "She's treating me like a fucking invalid, Brian!" 

 

"Language, Justin!" Jennifer scolded her son from her place at the kitchen table. 

 

Justin sighed heavily.  "Brian, you have to break me out of here," he pleaded as he lowered his voice so his mom couldn't hear.  "If I have to stay in here one more minute, I'm going to go nuts!" 

 

Brian reached down to tuck some errant hair back from Justin's face, his fingers trailing lightly over the slightly stubbled skin of his lover's cheek.  "Justin, you took a bad fall yesterday and that drug is still in your system.  Whether you like it or not, you are going to have to take it easy for a few days.  Do you want to wind up back in the hospital again?"

 

Justin reached up to grab Brian's hand to grip it in his.  "But there's a difference between taking it easy and being held prisoner!"  His eyes bored into Brian's beseechingly.  "At least convince her to let me go out on the back porch - and find me my sketchpad and some pencils so I have something to do." 

 

"Which one do you want, Your Highness?" Brian teased as Justin glared up at him. 

 

"You know which one," he told Brian softly, feeling his face warming as Brian stared at him.  "The red one.  The one...That _you_ got me." 

 

Brian smiled, secretly pleased that Justin thought so much of it.  "Okay. I'll go talk to her and get your sketchpad.  But you stay _here_ , got it?  Is it up in your room?" 

 

Justin threw back the coverlet eagerly then, obviously anticipating success.  "Yeah, yeah, on the dresser. But hurry, okay?  I'm liable to petrify here if I have to stay on this couch much longer."

 

Brian smirked as he reached down and squeezed Justin's cock briefly through his sleep pants, thrilling at the hot flesh pulsating under his touch.  Justin groaned in response as it swelled in Brian's fingers.  "Well, part of you is definitely still functioning properly," he commented huskily as he let of Justin's hand and stood up.  "Be right back." 

 

With his long legs he took the steps two at a time, concerned that Justin would try to follow him.  It didn't take him long to find the red, leather sketchpad, lying on top of the bedroom dresser.  It was lying open as he reached for it, and he stopped as he studied the amazing drawing Justin had done of Headstrong running around in the pasture by the stables.  The sketch was so lifelike and detailed; he could almost feel the horse's strength and hear his pants of breath as he galloped.  Knowing instinctively how utterly shameful it would be for Justin not to pursue such a talent, he closed the book up before grabbing a nearby box of graphite pencils and proceeding back downstairs to plead Justin's case to his mother.

 

* * *

 

"Thank you," Justin sighed in contentment as he sat next to Brian on the back porch's swing a few minutes later, their thighs lightly touching and the other boy's arm loosely curled around his shoulder.  He could actually get used to this sort of 'recuperation,' he decided.  "This is so much better." He held his sketchpad and box of pencils in his hand as he rested them on his lap.

 

"Much," Brian murmured as Justin blushed over the sultry, smooth tone of his voice.  He leaned down to kiss Justin on the cheek as he pulled him closer against his body.  Justin leaned his head against Brian's shoulder and closed his eyes, his art supplies temporarily forgotten as he savored the warmth of Brian's body next to his and the strong beating of his lover's heart while they rocked back and forth slightly in the wooden porch swing, the gentle creaking of the chain somehow comforting and familiar.  Jennifer -  assured that Brian would watch over her son and make sure he wouldn't do anything foolish to jeopardize his recovery - had taken advantage of Brian being there to walk up to her bee hives to collect some honey; the sounds of an occasional horse whinnying or a cow mooing from the Walker farm next door, or a bird chirping every once in a while were the only audible sounds at the moment. With Craig, Vic, and Emmett out at the stables, they were surprisingly alone, at least for the time being, which suited both boys just fine.

 

"I remember the first time we sat here,"  Brian murmured as Justin smiled in recollection, his eyes still closed.  "It was in the moonlight; shit, the moon seems so much bigger out here in the sticks!" he groused as Justin chuckled softly over his comment.  "But what I really remember so vividly was...how much I wanted to kiss you that night.  And how I got my wish; _finally_." 

 

Justin lifted his head and opened his eyes, Brian's face mere inches from his.  "So did I," he admitted.

 

"You know," Brian told him softly.  "For someone who was inexperienced at the time, you turned out to be a damn good kisser, along with some other talents I discovered later."

 

One side of Justin's mouth crooked upward in amusement.  "Really? Want to refresh my memory?"

 

Brian grinned.  "Here?  Now?  In broad daylight?  You want your father to go retrieve his hunting rifle?"

 

Justin laughed.  "My father doesn't know the first thing about a hunting rifle," he told him.  "And if he happens to come by, then I say...Fuck 'im."  He moved closer to Brian, placing his right hand on the side of Brian's face as his fingers slowly stroked his strong jaw.  "I know the best remedy for my recovery.  Kiss me, Brian." 

 

"Well, never let it be said that I hampered anyone's recuperation," Brian murmured. He meant it to be said in jest, but as he gazed into Justin's eyes, he found himself, as usual, completely captivated. Just what was it about this boy that enthralled him so?  Using his arm around Justin's shoulder to turn his body more toward his, his eyes lowered to dwell upon the full, slightly parted lips that beckoned so invitingly before his mouth descended upon his lover's, both boys' tongues sliding out to deepen the kiss.  Brian thought he heard Justin sigh into his mouth as he groaned in response, Justin's arms sliding out to wrap themselves around the hard, muscular body as they molded against each other.  This time, unlike that first kiss on this same swing, there was no hesitation in either boy as they continued to kiss, completely oblivious to anyone and anything else...

 

"Uh...ahem." 

 

Only the melodramatic clearing of someone's throat nearby caused the two boys to break apart at last as they stared over at Emmett now standing on the porch in front of them, a smirk on his face as he grinned back at them.  "Well, I see someone's recovery is progressing rather nicely," he declared, a twinkle in his eye.  "Don't wear him out, though, Kinney." 

 

"Did you need something, Honeycutt?" Brian's hand remained curled around Justin's neck as the younger boy's face turned pink in embarrassment.

 

"Just fetching some lemonade for my uncle and Justin's dad," he told them with a grin.  "I _would_ ask if you need anything...but something tells me you already have everything _well in hand_."  His grin became wider as he turned and headed toward the back screen door.  "Later, boys," he snarked as he disappeared inside.

 

Justin burrowed his face in Brian's neck as Brian laughed.  "Now don't go getting all prim and proper on me now, Farm Boy."  He placed his hand under Justin's chin to tilt his head up and look into his eyes.  "As much as I hate to say it, Emmett's got a point, though.  You ARE supposed to be recovering.  You've been out here long enough.  Maybe you'd better go upstairs and lie down for a while. I wouldn't want to be accused of cutting off your oxygen supply." 

 

Justin smacked him on the chest as Brian chuckled.  "Brian!  I'm just _sitting_ here!  Fuck, you're as bad as my mom!" 

 

Brian's face turned serious.  "I mean it, Justin," chided him softly.  "Just do it for me, okay?  I think both of us are forgetting that you just got out of the hospital this morning.  You may THINK you're fine, but the shit that asshole put into your water bottle has to still be in your system.  Everyone is pitching in, so you need to take advantage of that and get some rest like a good little boy."

 

"I'd rather you take advantage of _me_ ," Justin replied as he wound his hand around Brian's neck and began to pull him closer, his intention of getting another kiss crystal clear.  It took every bit of willpower on Brian's part not to encourage him - those lips looked far too seductive at the moment - but somehow he managed to place his hand, palm down, on Justin's chest and push him away as a pout appeared on the perfect lips. 

 

"You are not making this easy on me," he murmured in reproach.  He stood up then, almost knocking Justin over onto the swing, and placed his hand out toward him.  "Come on.  I think your father is just now starting to tolerate me at best, and I don't want to fuck that up, okay?  Now do as I'm asking - and I'll come up and see how you're doing again later."

 

Justin peered up at him and smirked.  "You'll come up later - to my bedroom?  This might turn out better than I thought."

 

Brian rolled his eyes as he grabbed Justin by the wrist and pulled him up.  "As tempting a thought as that is, I don't think that's a good way to get into your parents' good graces.  I'll tuck you in, but you'll have to make do with your Checkers, Jr. for a bed companion for now."

 

"That stuffed cow?" Justin complained as Brian began to tug him toward the back door.  He huffed in disbelief as Brian chuckled. 

 

"Hey, I did a lot of work to get you that cow, Mr. Taylor.  Now get going."

 

Laughing, Justin followed him inside.

 

* * *

 

Several minutes - and one more kiss later - Brian finally left Justin lying on his bed upstairs after extracting a promise he would, indeed, try to get some sleep for the time being.  He only secured it from the younger boy after assuring him he would be back around dinnertime to check up on him again.

 

The screen door banged behind him as he walked outside, encountering Jennifer sans her beekeeping outfit, clutching some honey she had collected from some of her beehives.

 

"Justin resting?" she asked as she walked up onto the porch to join him.

 

Brian nodded.  "Yeah, he's upstairs lying down.  I told him I'd come back over later to check up on how he's doing."

 

Jennifer smiled.  "Thank you for keeping him company, Brian.  We're going to have beef stew and some homemade biscuits for dinner.  Would you like to join us?" 

 

Brian smiled, pleased by the idea.  "Thanks," he told her sincerely.  "Let me check with my aunt and uncle first and I'll let you know."

 

Jennifer nodded.  "Dinner's at six.  We'll be looking for you." 

 

The increasingly loud sound of a vehicle coming up the dirt road connecting the Taylor farm to his aunt and uncle's caught their attention just then as it approached.  A sheriff's logo and rooftop lights identified it as belonging to Sheriff Renfro as the nondescript, dark sedan slowed down and came to a stop in front of the farmhouse. 

 

As Renfro emerged from the car, Vic, Craig, and Emmett came walking up from the stables, alerted by the sound of the car arriving. 

 

"Jennifer," Billy greeted Justin's mother as he tipped his police cap at her politely. She nodded, a little apprehensive, as he walked around the car to be met by the other three men by the back gate. 

 

"Sheriff," she called out to him as she exchanged a glance with Brian.  "You remember Brian from yesterday?"

 

Billy nodded.  "Sure do."  He turned to Craig, Emmett, and Vic.  "Fellas," he addressed them as Craig and Vic nodded back at him. 

 

"What brings you out here, Sheriff?" Craig asked.  "You find out something else about what happened yesterday?"

 

He shook his head.  "No, sorry. That Kesterson boy has clammed up tighter than a drum, now that he's facing serious jail time if he's guilty. Even the Doc couldn't pry anything out of him, although Lord knows he tried.  But I would like to speak with your youngest boy if he's available and get his side of the story."

 

Craig squinted in the bright sunshine.  "I'm not sure he's up to that just now, Sheriff," he told him as he glanced over at his wife.

 

"He's lying down upstairs in his bedroom,"  she confirmed.  "He's been told to take it easy for a few days.  But if you think it's that important..."

 

"I do," Billy told her.  "I need to know what he saw and experienced yesterday since he is the victim here."

 

Jennifer nodded.  "Okay, I'll go up and get him.  But can we talk in the living room instead of out here?"

 

"Of course," the sheriff told her as they all turned to go. Brian hesitated, knowing he needed to get back to his aunt and uncle's farm if he had any chance of returning for dinner later.  "Uh...if you're done with me, Sheriff, I need to head back over to my aunt and uncle's house."

 

The sheriff nodded.  "Sure, son.  Oh, and tell your uncle I'll be heading over there after I'm done with Justin.  He wants to talk with me."

 

Brian could guess what that was about as he nodded and turned to go. A few minutes later, he found himself walking by the Taylor's stables, observing Dale's horse grazing in the attached, fenced-in pasture.  True Blue looked both intimidating as well as majestic; a force to be reckoned with. But as he looked over at the animal, he watched him lift his head to peer over at him with large, deep brown eyes, almost as if he were trying to communicate with him, and he couldn't help responding to him.

 

"You know what happened back then, don't you, Boy?" Brian found himself murmuring to the horse; the animal's ears stood up as he slowly began to amble toward him. Brian's heart began to pick up pace as the impressive beast neared, towering over him now with only the fence separating them, but strangely enough he didn't feel any fear or trepidation.  The horse that Justin often described as out of control and distinctly untrainable was displaying none of that at the moment.  Brian almost felt a sort of kinship with this stallion. They had a lot in common in a way, actually; both unwilling to be bridled and controlled, and both appreciating the need for independence and freedom.  "If you could only talk," he told the horse as it blinked back at him slowly and whinnied softly in response.

 

Tentatively, Brian reached out his hand to the side of the horse's head and began to slowly stroke him.  "Don't worry," he told him soothingly, not thinking how ridiculous it seemed to be carrying on a conversation with him.  "We'll find out what happened."  The horse eyed him quietly now before, with a sigh, Brian turned and headed back toward his aunt and uncle's farm. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the reader of mine on FF.net who pointed out I did not post the previous chapter on here. I am posting it now and reordering it properly so all 23 chapters are posted. Sigh...I guess the lack of anyone pointing that out on here apparently indicates there is not much interest in this story. But I will complete it nevertheless for those who ARE reading. Sorry about the confusion.


	23. The Painful Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian and Craig have a somewhat terse conversation about Justin; Brian comes to some startling realizations about his life and his priorities.

_Later that Evening...  
_

"You know...For someone's who supposed to be recuperating from their injuries, you're not a very good patient, Mr. Taylor.  How did you manage to escape your parents' clutches?"

 

Justin peered over at the older boy from his place on the side yard's bench, his eyes brushing momentarily up and down in appreciation as they swept over Brian's tall, lean frame.  Brian had finished up his chores over at the Walker farm, and was presently clad in a pair of dark blue jeans and a long-sleeved, denim shirt with a couple of the buttons undone at the top and the sleeves partly rolled up, exposing his tanned skin.  A pair of slightly scuffed, dark brown boots was peeking out from under his pant cuffs, and he was wearing a simple, leather, matching brown belt.  As always, even though he was dressed simply tonight, he looked amazing and took Justin's breath away.

 

He smiled sheepishly at him as he scooted over slightly to make room for his visitor on the white, cast iron piece of furniture.  "Actually, my mother was getting tired of me bitching to her about being a prisoner while she was trying to fix dinner, so she decided I should go get some ‘fresh air.'  And my dad's still out in the barn, working, so he doesn't even know I'm out here right now."  Brian gazed at him quietly, sensing Justin had more to say, as the younger boy added, "From the sound of things, I think he's working on Jared's car."  He sighed as he peered straight ahead and hugged himself around the chest, letting the warm breeze blowing through the large maple tree overhead and the myriad sounds of the farm's animals soothe his sense of agitation.  He could hear one of the horses let forth with a sort of restless whinny out in the pasture as he told his companion, "I think Dad's worried about him: about what's going to happen now."

 

Brian bit back the retort of what he _really_ wanted to say about Jared as he noticed the troubled expression on Justin's face.  "Worried about him being blamed for what happened to you?" he asked quietly.

 

Justin nodded before he finally turned his head to look at him.  "Brian, do you think he _did_ have something to do with it?  Do you think he was lying to the deputy, and he helped Doug plan what happened to me?"  He shuddered at the thought.

 

Brian could hear the pain in the other boy's voice as he reached over to clasp his hand, feeling his gesture returned with a tight grip like it was a lifeline.  "Even now, even after all he did to you - you don't want to believe that, do you?"

 

Justin pressed his lips tightly together and swallowed hard.  "No," he admitted softly at last.  "He's still my brother."  He shook his head.  "We didn't always use to be this way, Brian," he told him.  "Not until the last few years."

 

"You mean not until you grew up," Brian inferred.  "And he began to see that he might have some competition."

 

Justin laughed at the irony.  "That's the craziest part of all," he replied.  "I never felt like I was competing with him, not really. If anything, I always thought he was so much better than me, so I never really thought it would do any good."  He gazed back out onto the land his family owned, the only place he had known since childbirth, lost in thought.  "He was always my big brother, the one who protected me, the one who I looked up to."  He paused before disclosing, "Do you know he would go around fending off all the bullies in class who were bigger than me?" He huffed.  "Of course, that was most of the class.  I was always the runt in school."

 

"I doubt that," Brian scolded him gently.  "And even so, I imagine you could normally take care of yourself.  I've seen you in action, remember?  You're pretty scrappy."  His teasing produced the desired results as Justin rewarded him with a half-smile.

 

"Yeah, well, I didn't take too kindly to the boys who tried to shove me into lockers or take my lunch money," he admitted as Brian grinned.  Justin's smile faded as he told him softly, "But he was always there and had my back if I needed it.  That's why I just can't believe that he would do something like this to me, even now."

 

Brian nodded as his thumb caressed the top of Justin's hand while they lay resting between them on the cold metal of the bench.  "Well, I still say your brother's an asshole," he declared, his voice edged with hardness.  "But...For what it's worth, my gut instinct tells me that when it comes to doing something like this, he's too much of a fucking coward.  I don't think he would have had the balls to be a part of it. And I don't know Vic all that well, but something tells me he would have seen right through your brother if he had been lying about it."

 

Justin pondered that for a moment before he finally nodded.  "Yeah, Vic is a good judge of character.  I think he would have, too.  At least I _like_ to think so."

 

Brian looked down at their clasped hands, silently grateful that he was able to be sitting here at this moment with Justin relatively safe and sound.  He wondered what might happen, however, once Justin returned to the racing circuit. Would he be safe?  What if Kesterson _did_ have help with his sordid plan?  "Justin?"

 

The blond turned to look at him.  "Yeah?"

 

"When is your next race?"

 

"In about two weeks," he told him with a grimace.  "That means I need to get back to my training soon, or neither I nor Headstrong will be ready for it.  It normally takes him a few days to get back on track after the last race - literally," he added with a wry grin.  "He tends to get a little lackadaisical if he's allowed to slack off too much in between races, so I can't let too much time elapse between workouts, or he can get complacent."

 

Brian sighed.  "Justin, you know what the doctor said.  You need to rest for a few days, or your Mommy and Daddy's meal ticket definitely won't be in any shape to keep bringing home the bacon."

 

Justin bristled at the insinuation.  "I'm a lot _more_ than that, Brian!  You make it sound like that's the only reason they keep me around here."

 

Brian squeezed his lover's hand.  "You know that's not what I meant," he maintained.  "I'm just saying, don't risk your health out of some noble but misguided notion that you have to hop back up on that sulky before you're physically ready to do it."  He leaned over to nuzzle Justin's neck as he whispered, "I don't want anything else to happen to you, Justin.  Please do what the doctor says, okay?"

 

Pulling back, he gazed into the expressive, blue eyes, allowing just a little bit of his true feelings - and his uneasiness - to show openly on his face.  Justin nodded, his face warming in realization.  He inhaled a deep breath and let it out as he looked straight ahead, his eyes wandering out over the open farmland that was unhindered by any other buildings or manmade structures.  Out here in the country, sometimes life could be brutal and even unforgiving; but it had also been his sanctuary, his home.  Why, all of a sudden, did he feel so restless?  Perhaps because the events at Red Mill had come much too close to home, and he still didn't know quite what the future held for him.  For the first time - at least since Dale's death - he was feeling nervous and anxious; unsure of his path.

 

"What are you thinking about?" Brian inquired softly beside him, noticing the faraway look in Justin's eyes.

 

The blond turned to look at him as a couple of the chickens nearby in the fenced-in coop yard clucked softly while they scrounged in the grass.  "I just can't stop thinking about what happened - and about Dale, too, I guess," he admitted.

 

"You mean whether his death - and your injury - are related."

 

Justin nodded mutely.

 

"Yeah, that's the big question, isn't it?  Now you know why I want you to be careful.  You know, you could always decide not to..." He paused, already knowing what Justin's reaction would be, but he still had to try.

 

"No," Justin told him sharply, just like he figured he would.  "That's not an option."  Before Brian could say anything further, he added, "And don't say they'll have to learn how to take care of the farm when I've left for college.  I'm well aware of that, and so are they."

 

"So what are they planning on doing about it, Justin?"

 

"Brian, we've had this conversation before," was the curt answer.  Justin pulled his hand away, the solitude abruptly disrupted.  He rose to his feet.  "We'd better head in for dinner before my mom comes looking for me."

 

Brian rose to stand beside him in dismay.  "Justin...I..."

 

"Just let it go, Brian, please," Justin implored him softly.  "I don't want to discuss that right now."

 

Brian sighed but nodded as the two boys walked up the brick walkway toward the back porch; the dilemma wouldn't go away, but he bowed to his lover's wishes for now as Jennifer met them on the other side of the screen door.

 

"Is your father still out in the barn?" she asked as Justin nodded.  "Brian, would you mind going out there and telling Craig that dinner is ready?"  Brian nodded in reluctant agreement; things were still somewhat strained between him and Justin's father.  It was almost as if Craig Taylor still viewed him as an impedance or a troublemaker.

 

* * *

 

He stood in the doorway of the barn a few minutes later, observing Taylor kneeling in front of a rear wheel as he tightened up the lug nuts on the classic car that was supposed to be a joint restoration project between him and his oldest son.  In a way, it bothered him that Craig seemed so concerned with taking care of Jared's car, but he had to admit the man had been more supportive lately of Justin, too.  Nevertheless, he still had a hard time figuring the guy's motives out.  He cleared his throat to get Craig's attention as the man turned to peer over at him, a terse expression on his face.  "Kinney."

 

Brian swallowed, perturbed slightly that this man could get to him.  "Mrs. Taylor wanted me to come tell you dinner's ready."

 

Craig nodded curtly as he placed the lug wrench down on the dirt floor and rose to his feet.  "Tell her I'll be right there."

 

Brian nodded as he turned to go, feeling the man's eyes boring into his back as he headed back toward the house.  He had only walked a few feet when, sure enough, he heard Craig say, "Hold up a minute, Brian."

 

Brian reluctantly turned around to face the older man, who was still standing next to Jared's car.  "Yeah?"

 

Craig eyed the boy closely.  "You and Justin have been spending a lot of time together."

 

How should Brian answer that?  That was pretty obvious.  "And...?"  He tried hard not to sound defensive, but he only partially succeeded.

 

"...And I don't want my son to wind up getting hurt," Craig told him flatly.

 

"Neither do I," was the irritated reply.  "So what's your point, Mr. Taylor?"

 

Craig sighed.  "Brian, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you."

 

"Aren't you?"

 

"I... _appreciate_ what you did for Justin when he got injured; how you stood by him until he was discharged from the hospital.  And he obviously is quite smitten with you.  But he's...a lot more _inexperienced_ than you.  And he's very tenderhearted.  I care about my son and what happens to him."

 

Brian's eyes flashed in indignation.  "And I don't?"  He shook his head in exasperation.  "Mr. Taylor, I just don't get you.  I've done nothing to Justin, and I was actually hoping you might be coming around to accepting the two of us getting to know each other better.  But now it sounds like we're back to square one again.  What more can I do to convince you that I care about him, too?"

 

Craig stared over at the older boy, noting the troubled look on his face.  "I actually believe that, Brian. But remember, you're only here for the summer.  Don't you think it's unfair to allow my son to become so attached to you, knowing that come this fall you'll be leaving and never coming back?  After all, what possible reason would you have to return _here?_ "

 

Brian didn't want to even think about that; he was a little surprised to find how much the idea of possibly never seeing Justin again made him feel so empty inside.  How ironic, considering that when he first got here he wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of here, return back home and never look back.  Now, he couldn't contemplate not being a part of this world.  In ways he couldn't begin to fathom or even understand, this gentler, simpler place had somehow attached itself to him, had made him become a different person, a person who actually cared about these people's lives and what happened to them; one of them especially.  When had that happened? He faintly pondered.  When had he turned that irrevocable corner of apathy and indifference?  He didn't really know.  But now, returning to Pittsburgh and his previous life seemed totally unacceptable and foreign to him.  He turned Justin's father's statement around, pondering what motive he would have to return back home.  "I have more reasons than you could probably understand," he finally told him softly.  "And even more reasons to stay."

 

Craig lifted one eyebrow in surprise.  "You would stay _here_?  With Will and Sarah?"

 

"If they would have me," he answered him quietly.

 

Craig peered at him, torn between skepticism and grudging respect.  "Justin's planning on going to school," he reminded him.  "So if your reason to stay is because of him..."

 

"That's a large part of it," Brian found himself admitting.  "Like I told you; I care about him.  But I also care about my aunt and uncle.  I really feel like I can make a difference here.  I...I like having someone depend upon me for a change.  I...If they would let me, I would like to stick around when my time is up. Whatever happens between Justin and me, well, I would never hold him back from his dreams, or ask him to put his life on hold for me."  He paused before adding, "Can you say the same?"

 

Craig bristled in annoyance over the boy's impudence.  "What do you mean?"

 

Brian looked him straight in the eye. "Do you realize how much of a burden you've put on him?  How tormented he is between wanting to go to Vanderbilt to pursue his goal, his dreams of helping children and using his talent for art, and feeling like he can't because of how much you depend upon him to keep this farm running?"

 

"We never asked him to do that," Craig tersely pointed out.  "And our family's finances are none of your business, Brian."

 

Brian shook his head in exasperation, undeterred.  "Justin doesn't do something because he's ordered to.   He does it because he...he loves this place. And...He's loyal to his family.  He's told me about your financial difficulties; I wasn't prying into them."

 

"Well, he shouldn't have told you about that," Craig replied, embarrassed.

 

"Justin needed to tell _someone_.  Do you realize how much he worries about it?  How pressured he feels to keep winning?  Maybe if he didn't' carry this obscenely large burden around all the time, maybe he might have taken a break from racing for a change.  And maybe what happened yesterday wouldn't have happened at all, then."  Brian knew it was unfair to say that - no one could have known what would have happened at the track - but still, it was true.  If Justin hadn't been pushed so hard to keep winning, then maybe...

 

"Drop it, Brian," Craig demanded curtly.  "I'm not going to discuss this with an outsider."  Reaching to grab a rag from a nearby, worn, wooden bench, he hurriedly wiped off some grease from his hands before stating, "I'm heading in to wash up.  I suggest you do the same."  With that, Brian was summarily dismissed as Craig walked past him with nary another glance, heading purposefully toward the back of the house and entering inside a couple minutes later.

 

Shaking his head in exasperation, Brian turned to follow him, not particularly wanting to spend a meal with the disagreeable man, but feeling a need to be calmed by Justin's presence.

 

* * *

 

_An Hour Later..._

"Thank you, Mrs. Taylor. That beef stew was great."

 

Jennifer smiled.  "My pleasure, Brian. I'm glad you could join us for supper."

 

Brian nodded with a half-smile of his own.  He wouldn't describe the dinner as being exactly a pleasurable one; the exchange between him and Justin's father earlier had left a rather sour taste in his mouth. But Jennifer's more agreeable presence-and the occasional, surreptitious glances he and Justin had exchanged between them as they sat side-by-side-had helped to make the time go by rather quickly.   Fortunately, also, Justin's parents had wisely chosen to ignore the topic most pointedly on everyone's mind - Justin's injury and whether Jared was somehow involved - and had talked, instead, about other, more innocuous subjects, such as the weather, the new barbershop that had opened in town, and the latest farm equipment.  No mention was made of what everyone was really thinking about; that is, until the phone rang and Craig went to answer it, returning a few minutes later with a terse look on his face.

 

Jennifer eyed him with concern.  "Who was it?" she asked.

 

Craig sat back down at the head of the table.  "That was Billy."

 

Justin and Brian exchanged a look before Justin asked, "The sheriff?  What did he say, Dad?"

 

Craig took a deep breath.  "He told me the bail bond hearing is set for day after tomorrow."

 

Justin paled slightly, somewhat afraid that Doug might somehow try to finish the job he had started the other day.  "So he'll be let out of jail then?"

 

Craig sighed with a nod.  "I'm afraid that's probably what will happen. As long as his father can afford to post bail, he will be given the opportunity to remain free until his trial is set just like everyone else."

 

"That's ridiculous!" Jennifer stated.  "He tried to hurt Justin - or worse.  How can they let him out?"

 

Justin swallowed hard as Brian glanced over at the apprehensive, younger boy, badly wanting at that moment to sweep him up into his arms and reassure him that everything would be okay.  The truth was he, too, was afraid for him.  He reached under the table to firmly clasp Justin's hand in an attempt to reassure him, finding his gesture returned as Justin held onto his hand as if he would never let it go.

 

"That's the law," Craig told them derisively.  "I don't agree with it, either, but there's nothing we can do about it. Billy did say he would make sure one of his deputies patrols around here as often as they can.  And he feels the judge will at least order the Kesterson boy to stay away from Justin until the trial."  He looked over sympathetically at his youngest boy.  "There's more," he added, his jaw rigid as everyone peered over at him.  "Billy told me that the Kesterson boy is claiming Jared was in on the whole thing."

 

"I knew it!" Brian cried out, his face red and drawn in anger.  "I'm going to fucking _kill_ him when I see him!"

 

"Brian, _no_!" Justin replied in alarm, his hand tightening in his companion's as Jennifer gasped over his visceral reaction.  "We don't know if it's even true! And even if it is, you'll only get yourself into trouble! Brian, please promise me you won't go after him."

 

Brian seethed silently, his rage barely checked.  If Jared had something to do with what happened to Justin....how could his own brother do something so heinous?  Justin was kind and generous to a fault, and so trusting; much _too_ trusting...How could Jared stoop so low?  His heart pounded at the thought as he tried to ease his fury, concentrating on the feel of Justin's hand in his and his warm, vibrant touch.

 

"Brian, please..."

 

He finally turned to look over into Justin's fearful eyes, not sure if the fear was for Jared, him, or both.  He took a deep breath to calm himself before he eventually nodded.  "Okay."

 

Justin had to hear it.  "Okay, what?"

 

Brian sighed, letting his anger slowly dissipate as he clarified, "I'll stay away from him.  But not for his sake. For _yours_."

 

Justin nodded as he gave Brian a relieved smile, totaling missing the look between his parents, both eyeing them with interest over how much influence Justin seemed to wield over the older boy.  "Thanks," he whispered as Brian nodded.  He let out a heavy breath as he turned to his mother.  "So, what's for dessert, Mom?" he asked, mainly to lighten the mood and take his own mind off his troubles for a while.  After what his father had just told them, he decided a change of subject might be in order.

 

Jennifer gave him a grateful smile over his attempt to force her concern away from the unpleasant subject at hand.  "One of your favorites:  homemade strawberry shortcake with vanilla bean ice cream."  She turned to her husband to ask, "Craig, would you help me with the dishes?"

 

Craig opened his mouth to protest over her suggestion that he help with ‘domestic chores,' only to shut it again over the look of displeasure on his wife's face.  Nodding tersely, he silently picked up his plate and Justin's.

 

Brian smiled at her in thanks as Jennifer picked up his plate before she and Craig walked out of the dining room and headed toward the kitchen, leaving both boys miraculously alone for a short while, at least.

 

* * *

 

"Jen, I'm not so sure it's a good idea to encourage them in there," Craig told his wife as she handed him a plate to dry several minutes later. They had finished up their dessert in the dining room and had left both boys in the living room to talk privately.  "They're seeing way too much of each other as it is."

 

Jennifer bestowed a barely concealed look of impatience on her face as she replied, "Craig, I think Brian's good for him, and he obviously thinks a lot of Justin.  You saw how quickly he calmed down in there before.  I don't see the harm in it."

 

"Well, I'm not so sure. The boy may mean well, but he's got a temper on him.  You know I spoke to Brian out in the barn before we came in.  You want to know what we discussed?"  Jennifer shrugged slightly in reaction as he revealed, "He talked about how much of a burden we're placing on our son's shoulders."

 

"Burden? What do you mean?"

 

"A financial burden. That Kinney kid had the audacity to insinuate that we expect our son to put all his college plans on hold in order to keep the farm running.  Do you believe that?"

 

Jennifer wiped her hands on a nearby kitchen towel before turning to face her husband.  "Maybe he has a point, Craig," she told him quietly.

 

"What?!"

 

"Please keep your voice down," she commanded, afraid one or both boys would overhear them.  "I'm just saying that Brian's right; we can't continue to depend upon our youngest son to shoulder so much of the responsibility.  That's what WE'RE supposed to do, not him.  He should be enjoying himself, having time to do some things to relax, spending time with his friends, with Brian. Going swimming, or drawing, or just having some fun! Not being made to constantly practice and compete in all these races.  Maybe if we hadn't been pushing him so much..."  Her voice trailed off sorrowfully.

 

"What?"  Craig pressed.  "Say it, Jen."

 

Jennifer took a deep breath, glancing down the hallway to make sure the boys were still in the living room.  "Maybe if we hadn't been pushing him so much, what happened the other day might have been avoided."

 

Craig brushed his hand through his hair in agitation.  "Great.  You, too?  So you're blaming me for what happened?"

 

Jennifer looked at him in astonishment.  "No, of course not!  But if we hadn't come to rely upon him so much, then he might not feel this constant pressure to perform."

 

"Perform?"

 

"Perform, compete...whatever you want to call it," she replied wearily.  "Craig, we have to find a way to let him go, to let him find his own way, and just be a teenager sometimes, not a breadwinner for the family." She eyed him sympathetically.  "I know you've had some bad breaks, and accountants are not especially in demand around here."

 

Craig harrumphed as his wife handed him another plate.  Absentmindedly drying it off, he retorted, "That's an understatement.  We don't have the Midwestern version of Wall Street around here."  He paused.  "You know if you weren't so attached to this farm..." His voice trailed off, but the meaning was crystal clear to his wife.

 

"Craig, this farm has been in my family for generations!" Jennifer reminded him in dismay.  "I could no more move from this farm than cut off one of my fingers.  You knew that before we got married.  Why are you bringing it up now?"

 

Craig sighed.  "I'm not saying I want to move, Jen.  But I AM saying that being tied to this farm severely limits my job prospects around here."  He thought for a moment before advising her, "I'll make some calls to a few of my old colleagues at the CPA office in Louisville.  Maybe they might have some suggestions.  I realize Justin can't keep up this pace," he admitted.  "And I do want him to go to college. Why else would we be scrimping by as much as we are?  Don't forget, a lot of our savings is tied up in his college fund.  We haven't touched that account, even though it would have made our lives a lot easier if we had access to the money."

 

"Craig, you're not suggesting..."

 

"Of course not, Jen!"  Craig let out an exasperated breath.  "Let's just drop it for now, okay?  I'll make some calls in the morning, and we'll take it one day at a time."

 

Jennifer nodded finally, not quite convinced it would be that easy. But she DID know one thing; they would have to find a way for the sake of their youngest son.  "Craig?"

 

"Yes, Jen," he answered a little wearily.

 

"Do you really think Jared helped this other boy do what he did?  He was very jealous of Justin...and Brian."

 

Craig pondered that carefully.  "I...I don't know," he finally admitted. "I hope not.  I don't want to believe he would do something like that."  It was obvious in his voice, however, that he wasn't quite convinced of that.

 

Jennifer nodded sadly, feeling much the same way.  _Please, Jared...please say you didn't do it,_ she lamented as she turned to place the now-clean dessert plates back into the cupboard.

 

* * *

_Thirty Minutes Later...Back porch_

"Well, I'd better get going before my uncle sends out a search party - or even worse, Solomon; I wouldn't want to distract him from his nightly rabbit-hunting venture," Brian told Justin with a slight grin as they stood face to face near the back door, finding himself reluctant to leave.  He couldn't help worrying about Justin, even though Doug wasn't due to be released on bail for a few days.  That wouldn't stop Jared, however, if he was up to no good.  His face cast partly in shadow on the porch, he added, "If you need anything...promise me that you'll call me, no matter what time it is."

 

"Brian, I'll be fine," he softly reassured him; he should be irritated that everyone seemed to think he was still an invalid and incapable of taking care of himself, but with Brian he found it oddly flattering.

 

Brian nodded, shuffling his feet slightly.  "Okay...well...I'll see you tomorrow, then, as soon as I'm done with my chores."

 

"You don't have to do that," Justin told him softly, feeling guilty that Brian had to take on so many extra duties because of him.  "I'm feeling better all the time.  And there's Vic and Emmett..."

 

Brian reached over to place his fingers against the younger boy's lips.  "Justin, for once can you not argue with me?  The doc said you have to..."

 

Justin reached up to remove Brian's fingers from his lips to interrupt him as he gripped his hand in his.  "Yeah, yeah, seventy-two hours.  I know the drill all too well."  He sighed.  "I know nothing I say will deter you anyway, so okay," he told him.

 

"Okay?" _Could he really be hearing that right?_

Justin grinned over impishly at him.  "Yes."

 

"You've never agreed to anything that readily.  Why now?" Brian pressed curiously.

 

Justin leaned in closer so their lips were only an inch or so apart.  "Are you kidding?  You...over here?   All sweaty and wearing no shirt while you shovel out the manure in the stalls?  It's like my wet dream come to life."

 

Brian snorted.  "Who said anything about my cleaning out stalls?  I'm not going to shovel a bunch of horse shit around.  No one mentioned anything about that.  That sounds like a perfect job for Honeycutt..." He stopped as he noticed Justin grinning even more than before.  "You don't have any _idea_ what I'll be doing, do you?"

 

"No," his companion admitted with a smile.  "But as long as I get to watch you doing it without a shirt on, I don't care."

 

Brian had to grin, then.  "Oh, really?" he responded huskily as he reached over to lightly grasp Justin's wrist and pull him into his arms.  "Well, I'll try not to disappoint my favorite voyeur tomorrow, then."  Looking briefly behind Justin to make sure they weren't being watched, he slid his arms around the blond's back before their lips came together for a kiss.

 

Justin sighed with contentment as he wound his arms around Brian's back in return, sliding his hands up and down the fabric covering his defined torso.  What this boy did to him whenever they kissed and touched!  It was like a wild, exhilarating, rollercoaster ride.  In Brian's arms he felt safe, he felt protected.  He felt like nothing - and no one - could ever harm him.

 

As a whippoorwill called out with its clear, melancholic tone somewhere off in the distance, Brian regretfully pulled back from the other boy, his breath catching in his throat as the moonlight bathed Justin in an enthralling glow.  Justin smiled over at him in an almost bashful way as Brian's hands came up to gently cup his face, the long eyelashes fluttering as he stared back at him, his face open and clearly showing his adoration for him.  It was at that moment that Brian came to a startling realization:  God help him, but he was falling in love with this boy.

 

His fingers caressed the warm skin under his touch as he whispered, "Get some sleep.  And don't forget to take your pain meds." He leaned in again to briefly kiss Justin on the lips, unable to resist one more taste, one more reassurance that Justin was really okay.  "And remember, if you need anything..."

 

Justin nodded, touched by Brian's offer.  "I will.  Good night, Brian."

 

Brian nodded back with a smile as he reluctantly let go of Justin, watching as the blond turned around and shuffled over to the back door, his eyes never leaving him until he paused to pull the squeaky screen door open.  Turning around, Justin's eyes locked onto his for a few moments before he entered the house, the screen door banging behind him.  Brian could hear Jennifer softly instructing her son to go upstairs and get some sleep as he finally turned and headed down the porch steps, feeling the weariness seeping into his own bones as he began to trek back to his aunt and uncle's house.

 

* * *

_Ten Minutes Later..._

Sarah turned her head from her place in the recliner as she heard the back door opening; she eyed her nephew with a mixture of curiosity and concern as Brian came walking up to her.  Placing her needlepoint project down on the side table next to her chair, she asked, "How was dinner, Brian?"

 

Brian walked over and dropped down onto the couch.  "It was okay," he told her enigmatically.

 

Her right brow lifted, unconvinced that nothing important had happened.  "How is Justin doing?"

 

Brian smiled slightly at that as he told her, "Cranky and stubborn."

 

Sarah nodded with an understanding smile.  "So he's doing a lot better."

 

Her nephew replied with a short laugh as he nodded.  "Exactly."

 

Sarah told him, "I'm so glad," as Brian nodded.  She frowned, noticing a troubled expression briefly flicker across her nephew's face.  "What?" she prodded softly.

 

Brian shook his head in dismissal, stifling a yawn as he covered his mouth.  "Nothing."

 

"Brian..."

 

He sighed in resignation over the pointed tone of his aunt's voice; this woman was much too perceptive for his own good.  And by the look on her face, she wasn't about to just let the subject drop.  "I...I had a ‘conversation' with Justin's father earlier when I went out to the barn to tell him that supper was ready."

 

Her steel-blue eyes piercing into his, she asked softly, "What _sort_ of conversation?"

 

"Well, I asked him if he realized how much pressure he was putting on Justin lately."

 

Sarah nodded wisely.  "You mean because of their financial situation."

 

Brian nodded, no longer all that surprised by how easily his aunt seemed to understand him.  "Yeah.  Here Justin's busting his ass - sorry," he mumbled over his choice of word as Sarah slightly shook her head to tell him it didn't matter, "He's working himself to exhaustion, training constantly and competing in all those races, because he feels responsible for keeping their farm afloat. But he's seventeen years old, Aunt Sarah!"  Brian raked the fingers of his left hand through his hair as he continued, "And he's so talented!  His dream isn't to be some famous sulky driver! His dream, his passion, is to help children through his art, and to make a difference in their lives.  But he can't do that - at least not the equestrian therapy part - unless he goes to school for it. And he can't do _that_ unless..."

 

"...Unless his father figures out a way to support his family, like he _should_ be doing, instead of letting his youngest child shoulder all of the burden," Sarah completed for him as  Brian nodded glumly, his eyes cast down at his hands that were clenched together in frustration.  "I know," she whispered sympathetically as she reached over with one, slightly wrinkled hand to squeeze his.  She smiled softly at her young nephew.  "You care a lot about this boy."  It wasn't a question coming from her; it wasn't up for debate as far as she was concerned.

 

Brian lifted his eyes to meet her kindly ones before finally nodding.  "Yeah," he whispered back in admission.  "I...I don't even know when it changed, when it happened," he continued.  "Maybe it was when he got hurt that I realized that..."  He paused and wetted his dry lips anxiously as Sarah's left eyebrow arched upward in silent question.  How much was he willing to share with her?  There was so much up in the air at the moment, so much in question about his future, about his and Justin's future.  And much of it depended upon her and his uncle.  What would their reaction be?  Was now even the right time? Was there _ever_ a right time? "Aunt Sarah..."  He glanced around the quiet room, suddenly realizing his uncle was nowhere to be found.

 

"He's gone to bed," his aunt confided, almost as if she were clairvoyant.  "Tell me," she urged him as she stared over at him so calmly.  "Tell me what's on your mind, Brian...and in your heart."

 

Brian swallowed nervously; this was something he was not very comfortable doing.  Heaven knows his parents had never encouraged such heart-to-heart conversations; if anything, they mainly ignored him, that is, unless he was in some kind of trouble or they needed something from him.

 

He finally nodded as he gazed into her eyes. Taking a deep breath, he began to pour out his hopes, his fears, and his own dreams.  "I realized something tonight...after dinner. Well, before dinner, too, actually.  It was when I was talking to Mr. Taylor.  He wasn't too happy about me mentioning how I thought he was placing too much of a burden on Justin."

 

Sarah half-smiled.  "No, knowing Craig Taylor, I'm sure he didn't." Her smile faded a bit as her expression turned more serious.  "Around here, a man's responsibility to his family is taken very seriously, Brian. And while it might seem archaic, in a lot of households, it's still seen as the man's job to take care of his family, and the wife's place is more of a subservient one."

 

Brian snorted.  "That doesn't seem to bother Justin's father much. And Mrs. Taylor doesn't exactly come across as a shrinking violet.  Or you, for that matter," he added as his eyes studied her.

 

Sarah grinned. "Well, your uncle would probably deny it, but I think he liked that feistiness in me when we met.  That's what he likes to call it, anyway," she explained as Brian nodded over at her.  Her grin faded as she clarified, "But in important matters, your uncle is still the ultimate decision maker.  We make decisions together," she hastened to add.  "But in these parts, a man's pride is based a lot of taking the lead in the household.  I am willing to cede to your uncle's wishes, as long as I know he has listened carefully to my opinion first. And he always does that.  Maybe most people would see that as too old-fashioned, but here it is still the way we do things."  She paused.

 

"Well, it doesn't seem to bother Justin's father that much," Brian persisted, still worried about his younger lover and what might happen to him.  "If he did, he wouldn't allow Justin to do what he's doing."

 

Sarah shook her head.  "No, trust me, Brian. Craig can be quite stubborn and pigheaded at times. But the fact that he can't support his family has to gnaw at him constantly.  You can't be raised in this type of environment without having that need as the man to provide for your family deeply ingrained in you.  He may have found a temporary, convenient way to take care of the finances through Justin's talent, but trust me; it _does_ bother him. And he will have to find a way to change things when Justin goes off to college."

 

"When?"

 

Sarah nodded firmly.  "Yes, _when_.  Don't ever tell Craig this, because he would be highly resentful that Jennifer told me. But she confided in me that before Craig lost his job as an accountant, they had saved up quite a bit of money for the boys' college funds."  She shook her head sadly as she told her nephew, "Seems kind of a waste now for Jared.  I'm not one to easily give up on someone, but even I can see that he has taken a very dark path lately.  But if he doesn't go to school, the silver lining is that there will be more money to give to Justin for _his_ training.  I think she told me there's enough in there for their first year at least. After that..."  Her voice trailed off.  Whether Justin would qualify for scholarship money - he always gotten excellent grades - or if he would wind up having to work through school, she knew he would find a way.  "Justin's a very determined, responsible boy, Brian," she told him firmly.  "So I trust that no matter what happens, he will find a way to continue his training.  He's always been very determined when something means a lot to him."

 

Brian nodded, a little stunned by the fact that the Taylors had actually saved up any money for Justin and Jared's college fund.  "Yeah, he is," he agreed softly with a slight smile as he thought about the enchanting young man who had somehow stolen his heart.  "He's very strong-minded - and passionate about what he believes in."  He stared over at her, feeling his face warm over her scrutiny before he cleared his throat awkwardly.  "So they've never touched that money to use it to pay the bills, instead?"

 

Sarah shook her head.  "No, Jennifer told me it's in a special, tax-deferred account.  So even if they wanted to use it, they would have to pay taxes on it to withdraw it prematurely. And she told me even if they could, she wouldn't allow Craig to do it. She said as much as she loves the family farm, she would rather see it given up than touch any of that money."

 

Brian nodded.  "That sounds like her," he murmured, impressed by Justin's mother's love for him.  He knew in an odd sort of way that Craig Taylor did as well.  He still thought the man wasn't the most pleasant person to deal with; okay, he thought he was a bit of an asshole. But he had come around slightly when he had thrown Jared out, and he did care about Justin, he had to admit.  "Him, I'm not so sure," he added.  He pursed his lips together in irritation as he thought back to their conversation in the barn.  "He more or less told me I was going to wind up hurting Justin," he admitted as Sarah looked over at him in surprise.

 

"Why would he say that?" she asked.  "You've been nothing but kind and helpful to Justin."

 

Brian shook his head.  "I know.  It's not that.  He actually thanked me in a way for helping Justin after his injury."

 

"Then why...?"

 

Brian took a deep breath and let it out.  He chewed his lower lip pensively as he explained, "He was thinking about the end of the summer...when my time here is over.  He said Justin was becoming too attached to me, and that he would be hurt when we had to say goodbye."  That last word almost caused him to stumble.  He couldn't imagine saying goodbye, at least not permanently, to the boy who had turned his entire world upside down.

 

Sarah nodded silently.  She could hear the pain in Brian's voice and the concern - and something else.  "Maybe he has a point," was her surprising reply after a few seconds.

 

Brian's eyes widened in shock as his face darkened. He thought his aunt was on his side.  "What?  You _agree_ with him?  You think I want to _hurt_ him?"

 

"Of _course_ not!" she immediately exclaimed, her voice rising with emotion as she reached over to grip his wrist for emphasis.  "No...NO," she repeated more loudly as she shook her head.  "No, that's not what I meant, Brian.  Listen to me.  I would never, ever think you would want to hurt Justin."  She took a breath to focus her thoughts clearly as she explained, "But Justin is very sensitive and very loving.  And when he... _attaches_ himself to someone - like he has to you - it has to hurt when he has to say goodbye.  I know you would never want to hurt him; just the opposite.  But surely you must realize that it's not going to be easy for him to see you leave here."  Her eyes began to tear up as she admitted, "It won't be easy for _me_ , either. Or for Will."

 

Brian snorted.  "I'm not so sure about that," he countered.  "I think Uncle Will sees me as more of a nuisance sometimes than anything else."

 

"No, you're wrong," she told him softly.  "Maybe at first he did. But not now.  He has come to depend upon you, too, just like Craig does Justin.  Only for different reasons.  It's not just that you're so handy with his tractor or with the chores around here.  It's much more than that.  You are so much like Dale in so many ways," she told him, smiling wistfully.  "At first, I think that was very painful for him, because it made him think about what he had lost.  And what happened the other day with Justin brought our son's accident back out into the open again like a scab over an old wound, which was hard on both of us. But don't ever think he won't miss you when you're gone, because he will.  You do remind him of Dale - but in a good way, Brian.  Don't ever doubt that."

 

Brian pressed his lips together and nodded, amazed at how much that statement affected him. What were these people doing to him?  "Aunt Sarah...?"

 

"Yes, Brian?"

 

He opened his mouth to tell her one of his most fervent wishes, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, followed shortly by his uncle making an appearance in the doorway.  Brian had to bite back a smile as he noticed him wearing a worn, light-gray, short-sleeved t-shirt and a pair of ribbed, darker gray pair of thermal pants, the kind he wouldn't be caught dead in.  "Do you two know what time it is, Missy?" he asked Sarah, his short hair askew from lying on the pillow upstairs.

 

Sarah glanced over at Brian apologetically over their conversation being interrupted as she replied with a slight smile, "I assume you're going to tell me."

 

Will nodded tersely.  "It's way past time for both of you to be in bed.  Especially Brian, if he's going to get his chores done over here before he goes back over to gawk at that Taylor boy.  And don't go denying it, Brian," Will added as Brian opened his mouth to do just that.  He face seemed to soften somewhat as he added gruffly, "Just make sure you don't become a hindrance over there, and you're actually helping while you're trying to impress him."

 

Sarah couldn't help grinning over at Brian as he rolled his eyes. Slowly standing up, he mumbled, "Yes, Sir," before issuing his aunt a ‘goodnight' and trudging toward the steps to his bedroom, deciding the rest of his conversation with his aunt would have to wait for the time being.

 

"Well, Missy?  The sun won't wait to rise because you got to bed late, too, and you know how grumpy I get without breakfast before chores."

 

Sarah shook her head in amusement as she rose from her place on the couch.  "Only too well, husband," she responded as she noticed a slight smirk on his face.  "How did you even know I was still awake?" she asked curiously.  "You went to bed over an hour ago."

 

Will seemed to look self-conscious as he mumbled, "You know I don't sleep well without you next to me." He reached out to grasp his wife's hand as Sarah nodded with a smile, the two of them heading upstairs to join their nephew in sleep. 

 

 


	24. Unexpected Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin and his parents encounter an unexpected visitor at the farmhouse; will it lead to finding out what really happened to him - and to Dale as well?

_The Next Morning...9:00 a.m. - Windswept Farm_

 

The conversation filtering through his partly-opened bedroom window roused Justin from a fitful sleep; the mixture of stiffness from his fall off the sulky, along with all the worries swirling through his head, resulting in an intermittent sleep at best, so it wasn't hard for something - or someone - to disrupt his slumber.  He lay there half-asleep, half-awake, his eyes still closed, as he found himself an unintentional eavesdropper to the voices interacting below:

 

"And I'm telling you that you shouldn't be here."

 

"But I needed to know how he is!  You honestly don't think I care?"

 

"I don't know WHAT to think, Jared."

 

Justin's eyes flew open and his heart pounded in anxiety; Jared was here?  On the farm?  He quickly flung the sheet back from his body, Checkers tumbling onto the floor from his place on the extra pillow, before Justin gently retrieved him and returned him to his normal spot.  Clad only in a best-loved pair of athletic pants that he preferred to sleep in, he hurried over to the window and looked down below.  Sure enough, he observed his brother and father standing there by the back gate, facing each other.  Jared's back was to him, but he could clearly make out his father's face - and he could tell that he was not happy.  His face was drawn into a tight expression, and his lips were pursed firmly together in irritation.  He noticed the sheriff's car parked a few feet away, but no sign of Billy Renfro.  Had the sheriff brought him here, then?  If so, why?  Did he confess something about his part in causing his injury?  Had he admitted that he had known all along what Doug Kesterson was planning on doing?  He frowned; that didn't seem right to him.  Of course, it didn't make much sense for his brother to come out here at all.  Was it possible he really was concerned about him?  Whatever the reason, he knew he had to find out for himself.

 

Quickly yanking open his top dresser drawer, he hurried to shrug into a long-sleeved, navy-colored tee-shirt and slip into his sneakers before he shuffled quickly to his bedroom door and down the hallway to the steps.  He winced at the stiffness in his back, a tendril of pain briefly flaring up, as he walked down the staircase as fast as he dared, turning at the bottom to head toward the kitchen.  He didn't hear anything in the house, and briefly wondered where his mother was. That is, until he opened the back screen door and noticed her sitting in the porch swing, her arms folded over her chest and her face clouded in distress; the sheriff was standing on the other side of the porch opposite her, his back leaning up against the wooden railing.  She and Renfro looked over at Justin with surprise as he walked outside; the same, exact moment that Jared and his father noticed his unexpected appearance as well.

 

"Justin!" Jennifer exclaimed with a little alarm.  "What are you doing here?"

 

"I live here, Mom," he answered her a little curtly, knowing what she was really trying to say. He chose to ignore her for now as he headed over to the back steps.  Jared's eyes locked with his, and at that moment he could have sworn he saw...what? Regret?  Relief?  Or maybe guilt? He wasn't quite sure. But he did not see any sign of his brother's normal bluster or bravado.  There was no smirk or superior sneer on his face for a change.

 

"Justin," his father warned him sternly.  "You need to go back in the house, and let me handle this."

 

His son's eyes flashed as he glared over at his older brother.  "The hell I will!" he growled.  "I above everyone else have a right to know what's going on!"

 

"Justin, maybe your father is right," Jennifer spoke up then as she rose from her place on the swing.  "You're still recov..."

 

"Stop it, Mom!  I'm not some damn child!" Justin retorted, not really meaning to take his anger out on his mother, but unable to help himself.

 

"Justin, watch your language when you talk to your mother," Craig admonished him curtly.

 

Justin took a deep breath and let it out to release some of the tension.  "I'm sorry, Mom," he apologized quietly as she nodded with a half-smile in understanding.  He turned back to peer down at his brother who appeared oddly uncomfortable.  "Well?" he prompted, his voice rising.  "Go on, Jared! I'm all ears!  What the hell are you doing here? Come back to gloat?  Or are you trying to finish the job somehow?"

 

The sheriff held up his hand before Jared or anyone else could respond.  "Listen first to what he has to say, son," he urged him quietly.  "I think he's wanting to help you."

 

Justin barked out a laugh.  "Help me?  That's a new way of describing it!  Well, guess what, big brother!  I don't need your kind of help!"

 

"Don't you?" Jared finally found his voice at last.  "You want to take the chance that Doug will get bail and come after you again?"

 

Justin swallowed hard. That was precisely what he - and Brian - were afraid of.  "What do you want, Jared?" he asked him point blank.

 

Jared glanced up at the sheriff, who seemed to nod in encouragement.  "Like the sheriff said - I want to help you put Doug behind bars for a long time."

 

Justin walked stiffly over to the top of the steps to stare down at the older boy he used to idolize.  "How can I believe that after what you've done to me?  Do you know he's accusing YOU of being in on it?  And what's worse - I can't help believing he may be right!"  He refused to acknowledge the prickle of tears threatening to emerge over the thought that his own brother would want to harm him.

 

"No, Justin!" Jared exclaimed as he took a few steps toward him, watching in dismay as Justin backed away in perfect synchrony with his advance.

 

"That's far enough, Jared," Craig warned him, not sure WHAT - or whom - to believe, either.

 

"I don't believe this!" Jared declared.  "Do you really think I had something to do with it?" he asked his brother.

 

"Well, you didn't exactly come running to see how I was after I fell, did you?" Justin challenged.

 

"I didn't exactly think the welcome mat would be rolled out, either," Jared spat before sighing in disgust.  "Look, I'm willing to prove I didn't have anything to do with it - and hopefully catch Doug in the act at the same time."

 

Jennifer walked up to place a calming hand on her youngest son's shoulder as Justin replied, "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

 

"Can we take this in the house?" the sheriff suggested as he noticed Vic and Emmett emerging from the stables, no doubt after overhearing part of the commotion near the house.  "I think the fewer people that know about this right now, the better."  Everyone stood stock still for a few moments before he added, "Please?  I think you'll want to hear what he has to say."

 

"Very well," Craig replied at last as he turned to head up the steps.  "You've got fifteen minutes," he told Jared.  Nodding at his younger son as he reached the top of the porch, he commanded softly, "Come on, Justin; in the house," before he placed a hand on his son's shoulder and gently nudged him back toward the screen door.  Justin glared down at his brother for a moment before he nodded back at Craig, letting his father lead him back inside; they were followed shortly by his mother and then the sheriff, keeping himself within arm's reach of the other boy as Jared entered last.

 

* * *

 

Jared felt a distinctive sense of déjà vu as he stood in the living room a few minutes later while everyone took their places:  his father and mother facing him warily as they sat side by side on the couch, and Justin sitting across from them near the window in the recliner, eyeing him suspiciously.  The sheriff stood next to him near the open doorway, acting like a sentinel that would pounce at any second if he did anything wrong.  It felt way too much like the day not too long ago when he had been thrown out of the house, and it made him feel both edgy and ostracized.

 

"All right, Jared; we're listening," Craig told him at last, breaking the silence.  "You've got fifteen minutes to tell your side of the story. And it'd better be the truth."  Craig couldn't help the hurt bubbling inside him; after everything he and his oldest son had done together - after all the bonding they had done over the years - to be sitting across from his boy and feeling like he couldn't trust him now tied his stomach up in one, big knot of anxiety.  He glanced over at Justin, whose lips were pressed tightly together.  He suspected his younger son was going to need a great deal of convincing, also, and he couldn't blame him.  "Well?" he pressed as Jared sighed in irritation.

 

"Okay, okay.  I did go to the track with Doug that day, and we did hang out together. And I did find him back in the stables when he said he needed to go to the restroom and never came back.    At the time he didn't explain why he was back there, but now..."  His voice trailed off as he glanced over at his brother.  "Now I realize that he was up to no good.  He admitted it to me afterward when he started acting suspiciously."

 

"What do you mean...suspiciously?" Justin spoke up then.

 

Jared appeared uncomfortable as he looked over at his brother.  "Well...he kept telling me to bet all the money I had left on Robbie Andrews. He kept saying it was a sure thing.  And then later he said something like, ‘he should have won.'  I finally called him out on it, and that's when he admitted that he had laced your drink with the ketamine."  He shook his head as he snorted in derision, "He never dreamed you would actually be able to finish the race, so he lost all his money anyway.  It was all for nothing."

 

"Are you disappointed by that, Jared?" Justin asked him quietly, unable to keep the hurt out of his voice.

 

Jared's eyes grew wide.  "Of course not!" he snapped.  "Look, you and I have had our share of arguments," Justin huffed in disbelief over that euphemism, "But I would never do something like that, Justin, whether you believe it or not!  I was just as surprised by what he did as all of you were!  And I did go find the sheriff's deputy," he pointed out.  "Would I have done that if I had had something to hide?"

 

"Maybe if you were trying to deflect suspicion away from you," Justin pointed out.

 

"Come on...Think about it!" Jared retorted as his parents remained stonily silent.  He shook his head in disgust.  "Well, I'm going to prove to you once and for all that I had nothing to do with it."  He looked over at Renfro meaningfully as the sheriff cleared his throat.

 

"Your son has agreed to be a witness against the Kesterson boy - and he's going to see if he can get him to confess to what he did - and to why he did it."

 

"Why do we need a confession?" Jennifer asked.   "You've already got the boy's fingerprints on Justin's water bottle."

 

"True," Billy conceded.  "But that's mainly circumstantial evidence. We didn't see him place the chemical in the bottle.  Besides, your son wants his name cleared, and right now it's his word against the other boy's.  Personally, I don't think there's any way that the Doc's son can squirm his way out of being convicted of drugging Justin and helping to cause his injury, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have had accomplices.  The only way to totally exonerate Jared, then, and to make sure no one else is involved is to get Doug to confess that he acted alone toward your son."

 

"And how do you propose to do that?" Craig asked.  "He's not going to volunteer that information; he's already said my son was involved."

 

Jared opened his mouth to protest his innocence again, only to have the sheriff hold up his hand to interrupt him.  "I'll tell you how," he replied.  "When the Kesterson boy is freed on bail day after tomorrow - and I fully expect that will happen, taking into account his father's stature in the community and his lack of any major criminal record - your son will contact him and arrange to meet him somewhere. And we'll be listening in on the whole thing."

 

The trio gaped over at the sheriff in shock.  "Listening in?" Justin repeated.

 

Billy nodded as he glanced over at Jared.  "Your brother's agreed to wear a wire so he can try to get more information out of him."

 

"...And prove that I had nothing to do with it," Jared told them quietly as he looked over at Justin.  "And I didn't, Justin; I swear I didn't."

 

Justin had to admit as he thought about it that he couldn't determine any other reason why his brother would agree to do something like that unless he knew he wouldn't be incriminated over his part in his injury; was it just possible that Jared was telling the truth, then, and really didn't have anything to do with it?  He finally responded with, "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

 

"Yeah, you will," Jared promised him.  "I'll get him to admit to what he did - and that I had nothing to do with it - if it's the last thing I do."

 

Justin scrutinized him thoughtfully.  "I just wish I knew you were doing it to help ME, Jared, and not because you're afraid of rotting in jail along with your friend."

 

"I can't force you to believe me," Jared replied stiffly.  "And yeah, I don't want to wind up in jail!  But...That's not the entire reason."

 

Justin eyed him skeptically.  "Maybe."  He paused.  "Well, for whatever reason, for your sake as well as mine I hope it works."

 

"So do I," Jennifer spoke up from her place on the couch, her hands clasped tightly together.  "I'm worried about both of you.  Until that Kesterson boy is locked away for good - and we know there aren't any more accomplices running around - I won't get a good night's rest."  Despite her disappointment over her older boy's behavior lately, she still loved Jared and didn't want harm to come to either boy.

 

Jared nodded, silently relieved that his mother hadn't completely written him off as the family pariah.  He let out a deep breath.  "Well, that's all I wanted to tell you," he softly told his family, signaling to the sheriff that he was ready to go. He didn't ask to stay; his father had made it abundantly clear that he was forbidden to do that.

 

"Where will you go?" his mother asked as the sheriff held his hand out to indicate he was ready to leave as well.

 

Jared huffed at the irony.  "I still have a spare key to Doug's apartment. I figured I would crash there until he's released from jail."

 

"That will give us time to set your son up with the proper surveillance equipment so we can monitor their conversations," Billy supplied in explanation.

 

Jennifer glanced over at her husband, who remained stony-faced.  She knew this situation with their eldest boy was eating him up; neither of them was condoning what Jared had done to both Justin and the Walker's nephew, but she knew Craig missed the closeness he had once had with him.

 

Rising to her feet, Jennifer walked over to the coffee table and dug into her purse to produce a twenty-dollar bill.  Approaching her son, she reached over and pushed the bill into her son's hand.  "Here, at least take this so I know you'll have something to eat there," she murmured.

 

Jared wanted to refuse, but truthfully he had squandered his last twenty at the track and knew that Doug had next to nothing stocked at his apartment; at least food wise.  So finally he simply whispered gratefully, "Thanks, Mom," as she nodded back at him.

 

"Ready to go?" Renfro asked him as Jared nodded.  He began to follow the sheriff out of the room, only to stop in mid-stride as he walked over to his brother.  "Justin...I'm telling the truth. I really didn't have anything to do with you getting hurt.  I wouldn't do that to you."

 

Justin stared into his face for a few moments before he replied quietly, "Maybe not, at least not physically, anyway."  Jared seemed to flinch slightly over his statement before, with a nod, he turned and silently headed out of the room.

 

Craig peered over at his youngest son worriedly.  "Justin?  You okay?"

 

Justin swallowed hard before nodding.  "Yeah.  No.  Hell, I don't know!" he admitted as he rubbed his face wearily with his right hand.  He sighed heavily as he looked over at both parents.  "I don't know what to believe anymore, Dad."

 

Craig nodded grimly.  "That makes two of us," he murmured as he and Justin's mom exchanged a look between them.  He shook his head sadly.  How did this ever get to this point between his two sons?  Was Jared capable of inflicting such pain on his only brother?  And was he sincere now about wanting to prove his innocence?

 

"I...have to head out to the barn," he told Jennifer.  Truthfully, he really didn't have anything specific in mind; he just needed to clear his head from the jumble of emotions coursing through him at the moment.  He peered over at his youngest son thoughtfully, noticing the look of sadness on his face.  "Justin, maybe you had best go back upstairs and rest."

 

"Dad, I just got up," Justin reminded him quietly.  "And do you really think I could go back to sleep after this?"

 

"I guess not," Craig admitted.  "Then have your mom fix you something to eat; I'm heading outside for a while."

 

"Come on, Honey," Jennifer urged him as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "I'll go fix you some of your favorite blueberry pancakes, okay?"

 

Justin nodded with a sigh as he followed his parents down the short hallway to the kitchen, hearing the sound of Renfro's car driving away as his father left through the back screen door a few seconds later.

 

* * *

 

_Same Time...Stables_

 

"Brian.  This is a surprise."

 

"Hey, Vic."  Brian nodded at the older man as he paused near the paddock fence to observe True Blue grazing nearby; he watched as the imposing animal whinnied before he threw his head back, his nostrils flaring briefly as he took off in a restless gallop around the pasture.

 

"What's the matter, boy?" he called out to him softly as the animal trotted up to him and stopped within a few feet of him a couple of minutes later.  For such a large animal, surprisingly he didn't scare him.

 

"Things don't seem quite right lately, do they?" he murmured to him.  "Don't know what to do with yourself, either, huh?"  True Blue cocked his head as if he were listening intently to him as Brian wistfully smiled up at him.  He paused for a moment to admire the sleek, strong lines of the horse before he turned to walk over to Vic, who was standing quietly nearby, observing him.

 

The older man shook his head in amazement.  "You seem to have a way with him, Brian.  Up until now, I've been about the only one who could come anywhere near him without spooking him. And most people are just plain intimidated by him.  You don't seem that way, though. And if I didn't know better, I'd say that horse actually likes you."  He stood silently next to him for a few seconds before he added softly, "The only other person who ever had that effect on him was Dale."

 

Brian gazed over at the majestic animal, who slowly walked away to begin grazing nonchalantly nearby.  "Maybe we just understand each other," he told the other man.  "In a way, I think we have some things in common."

 

Vic started over that statement; that was the same thing that Dale used to say about his horse.  He was about to quiz Brian on that further when both of them heard a car door being slammed near the Taylor farmhouse and turned their heads just in time to see Jared entering a sheriff's car from the passenger seat. A few seconds later, the car began to pick up speed as it disappeared down the narrow dirt road, taking it out to the main highway.

 

"What the fuck?" Brian asked, mouth agape.  "What was HE doing here?"  Before Vic had a chance to answer him, however, Brian was rushing up toward the back of the farmhouse in a dead run.

 

"Brian!"  Vic shouted as Emmett emerged from inside the stables, feed bucket in hand.  He stared at Brian's quickly retreating form as he asked his uncle, "What's going on?"

 

"Good question," Vic responded grimly.  "Billy Renfro's car just left Craig and Jennifer's house - and Jared was with him."

 

Emmett's eyes widened in shock.  "No shit! What do you think it means?"

 

Vic shrugged.  "Don't know," he replied.  "But something tells me Brian's about to find out."

 

* * *

 

Justin jumped from his place at the kitchen table as he heard someone banging on their back screen door.

 

"What in the...?" Jennifer called out from her place at the kitchen stove. She turned around to spy Brian standing there at her back door, clearly agitated about something as he jiggled himself back and forth on both feet.  "Brian?"

 

The sound of the other boy's name was all it took for Justin to rise from his place at the table and walk over to find Brian standing there, peering in through the back door.  "Brian, what's going on?"  He asked curiously.  He was barely able to turn the handle and open the door before Brian burst inside.

 

"That's what I was going to ask YOU!  Are you okay?" he responded as he hurriedly examined Justin, relieved to see him apparently looking unaffected.  "I just saw Jared leaving with the sheriff! What was HE doing here?"

 

Justin sighed as he led Brian over to the kitchen table and plopped back down in his chair.  "That's a really good question," he said as Brian sat down next to him.  "I'm still trying to figure out how much I believed what he was telling me."

 

"You talked to him?"

 

Justin nodded.  "Yeah.  He wanted to talk to me and my mom and dad.  He claims he didn't have any idea what Doug was going to do to me, and that he wasn't involved with it."

 

Brian couldn't help snorting in derision.  "Justin, surely you don't believe that!  He would say anything to save his skin!"  He shook his head ‘no' as Jennifer walked over and held out a plate of blueberry pancakes in front of him before she slid a couple of them onto Justin's plate and placed the warmed, maple syrup container down next to it, along with a butter dish.  Wiping her hands on her half-apron, she sat down at the end of the table and took a sip from her coffee mug as she studied the worried look on Brian's face.

 

Justin let out a tense breath as he replied, "I don't know what to believe.  He sounded sincere..."

 

"Justin, come on!"

 

"Brian, he's my brother.  I told you before.  I never thought he was capable of doing something like this to me.  No, listen," he added urgently as Brian opened his mouth to protest.  "The sheriff said he's offered to wear a listening device once Doug gets out on bail to try and get him to confess to acting alone.  He really sounded sincere, Brian, but I admit I'm not totally convinced.  I want to believe him, though."

 

Unconcerned that Jennifer was silently observing them, Brian instinctively reached over and grasped Justin's hand supportively on top of the table as he murmured, "I know you do.  I just hope your faith in him winds up being justified.  Until you know for sure, though, you need to watch yourself.  Don't be alone with him, Justin. And don't go anywhere by yourself, even around here."

 

Touched by Brian's concern, Justin nonetheless pressed his lips together in irritation.  "Brian, I'm not going to be held prisoner inside this house. And it's not like the mafia is after me or something."

 

"Justin, you don't know who's involved with this," Jennifer spoke up quietly then.  "Perhaps Brian's right.  Until we know exactly what's going on, I think you need to be a little careful."

 

Justin bristled.  "Mom, I repeat:  I refuse to stay cooped up inside this house!  If I do, I'll go crazy!"

 

"I'll stay with you," Brian instantly offered.  "You can walk out to the stables with me, in fact, when you get done eating. I was going to help Vic and Emmett anyway."  At least he knew for now Jared was with the sheriff and Kesterson was still in jail.  Were there others involved, however?

 

Justin sighed wearily as two determined and concerned pairs of eyes peered back at him; he knew it would be fruitless to resist.  "Okay, okay," he grumbled, secretly not too unhappy about having Brian around more, despite his insistence on playing bodyguard.  "Is it all right if I eat without any assistance, though?"

 

Brian grinned; the idea of hand feeding Justin - and feeling those lips suckling on his fingers as he fed him some of the syrupy food - did have its appeal. But he knew for now that would only be a fantasy, especially with his mother sitting there besides them. He reluctantly let go of his hand as he nodded.  "I guess that will be okay," he told him solemnly as Justin rolled his eyes in response.

 

Jennifer couldn't help smiling slightly as she took another sip of her coffee.  She could no longer avoid admitting to herself that there really was something there between her son and this other boy.  She wasn't quite sure what to call it yet; but she knew it was something special.  She didn't know, either, what the future would hold for their relationship - there was too much in limbo - but she knew it wasn't something she could easily dismiss or ignore.

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later she watched from the back window as her son and Brian headed out toward the stables, where she observed Vic and Emmett tending to the horses in the pasture.  She couldn't help noticing the hand that Brian kept lightly braced against her son's back as they walked side by side.  It was a barely discernible gesture, but to her it spoke volumes about the other boy's feelings for her son.  Finally, satisfied that Justin was not in any apparent discomfort or imminent danger, she turned and began to gather up the breakfast dishes.

 

"You okay?" Vic asked Justin as the two approached, squinting against the quickly rising sun staring him in the face.

 

"I'm fine, Vic," Justin reassured him as he and Brian strode up to join him and Emmett.  "I'm glad to be freed from my captivity," he quipped.  "How's Headstrong doing?" he asked as he gazed over at his horse.  At the mention of his name, the animal lifted his head and whinnied softly at him, slowly walking over to greet him.

 

"Hey, Boy," Justin murmured as he reached up to stroke the horse's head.  "I'm fine, see?  Nothing to worry about."  He continued to soothe the animal with his touch as well as his voice as he added, "I'll be back in the driver's seat in no time, you'll see."

 

"Not until tomorrow at the earliest," was Brian's stern reply as Justin sighed in exasperation.  "And no arguments.  That's the only way your mom allowed you to come out here, and I'm trying to stay on your parents' good side, remember?"

 

"Brian..."

 

"You heard me, Justin.  Now go be a good little patient and sit down for a while.  I'll help with the horses today.  You just concentrate on getting well."

 

"Aaargh!  You're are bad as my mother!" Justin complained as he folded his arms across his chest in indignation.  "How many times do I have to say I am NOT an invalid?"

 

Brian walked the few steps over to the other boy until they were almost nose to nose.  "It's only one more day, Hot Shot," he reminded him as he grasped Justin by his upper arms and stared into his irritated, blue eyes.  "If you behave yourself," he whispered as he lowered his voice so Vic and Emmett couldn't overhear him, "I'll come back over tonight after my aunt and uncle go to bed, and we can celebrate your ongoing recovery properly."

 

Justin couldn't help smiling at that thought.  "Oh, really?" He replied with a sly grin, his voice taking on a sultry tone that even he didn't realize was happening.  "Why do I suspect that your version of a celebration would only set my recovery back even further...Doctor?"

 

"And that's a bad thing?" Brian asked as he waggled his eyebrows and grinned back at him.  His smile faded a little into more of a concerned look as he added softly, "Now go do what I say, okay?"  Please was silently spoken between them before Justin finally nodded in grudging agreement.  "Okay.  But don't forget my reward later for listening to reason," Justin answered as he leaned into Brian even further, their breaths mingling.

 

Brian nodded back at him, feeling the heated stares of the other two men upon them as he cleared his throat.  "Well I'm glad you've decided for once to listen to reason, Mr. Taylor," he told the other boy a little more loudly as he stole a quick kiss from him before pulling back.  "Now go sit down and behave yourself so we can get some work done. And stay somewhere where I can keep an eye on you."

 

"Oh, for..." Justin huffed in exasperation as he rolled his eyes.  "Okay, okay.  I'll sit over there and supervise, then."

 

"Why does that sound worse that you actually helping us?" Brian replied as Justin smirked.

 

* * *

 

_A few hours later..._

 

"How long has Brian been out there?" Craig asked as he stood next to his wife at the back porch railing. From their perspective, they could see the bare-shirted brunet hard at work on grooming one of the horses in the paddock as Vic and Emmett exercised a couple of their other horses.  Justin could be seen sitting rather glumly on a large, overturned wooden crate nearby, clearly not happy about being relegated to a bystander position.  When he had gone out to the barn a couple of hours ago, Craig had found that he wandered around the interior rather aimlessly for a short while, before deciding to work on Jared's current restoration project.  He wasn't sure if that was the best use of his time - or how he felt yet about the veracity of his older son's claims - but it had provided him with a way to occupy his time, which he was grateful for.

 

"He's been here at least since the sheriff and Jared left," she explained. "I'm not sure when he got here exactly, but I do know he tore up here in a sprint when he heard them leaving." She smiled.  "He wanted to make sure Justin was okay."  She paused.  "They really are very sweet together, Craig. And he's very protective of Justin."

 

Craig had to silently admit that Brian had become a hard worker; he could see the sweat pouring off him as he lifted a metal bucket of water to carry it over to a nearby trough for the horses, before stabbing into some hay with his father-in-law's old, metal pitchfork and hefting it into another nearby container.  He noticed the boy glancing over at Justin, a soft smile appearing on his face, before he resumed his duties.

 

"I guess so," he admitted at last.  "But you remember what I said before."

 

Jen nodded.  "I know," she replied quietly.  "But let's not dwell on that right now.  Let them have some time together for now.  We can certainly use the help until our son is fully healed, and he seems more than willing to do that.  Justin may still be young, Craig but he's very strong in a lot of ways.  He will be able to handle whatever happens if and when Brian has to leave."

 

"When?" Craig queried.  "I didn't think that was ever in doubt.  He doesn't belong here, Jen. He was raised in an entirely different environment from a farm. What makes you think he would ever be happy here?"

 

Jennifer shrugged as she gazed out at small group near the stables.  "I don't know," she admitted truthfully as her attention was drawn to the taller, dark-haired boy.  "I never thought he would fit in here either; not after what I initially heard about him." She stopped for a moment to observe him lifting another large mound of hay onto the pitchfork's tine and deftly tossing it into a large pile, almost as if he had been doing this sort of thing all his life.  "But now...Now I'm not so sure.  And I'm beginning to think he fits in here more than anyone ever thought he would."  She inhaled a breath and let it out as she turned to refocus her attention on her husband.  "Besides, Craig, it won't be up to us what happens anyway. It would be up to him and his family."

 

Craig nodded in taciturn agreement.  "I suppose."  He turned once more to observe the boy who had managed to fascinate his youngest son, watching as the two of them shared another intimate look between them.  He sighed.  "Well, I'd best get into town.  I have to pick up some supplies."  Jen nodded at him in understanding as he turned to her to add, "And make sure Justin stays where someone can keep an eye on him."  He crooked one side of his mouth up wryly as he told her, "Just don't let HIM know someone's babysitting him, though, or we'll never hear the end of it."

 

She smiled as he unexpectedly reached over to lightly grasp one of her shoulders and give her a peck on the cheek.  "I'll be back in amount an hour or so."  She nodded as he turned and headed back outside.

 

* * *

 

_An Hour Later..._

 

Brian rolled his eyes as he heard a loud, melodramatic type of sigh sound nearby.  Emmett and Vic had gone back into the stables several minutes ago to work inside, leaving him and his not-so-compliant observer alone for a while.  He turned around to peer over at Justin, who had risen from his makeshift seat on top of the wooden crate and was now standing a few feet away.  "Something got your goat?" he asked dryly.  "Too strenuous an activity, sitting for that long?"

 

Justin huffed.  "Very funny.  It wasn't MY idea, remember?"

 

Brian nodded as he pulled off a pair of heavy work gloves and threw them down onto the ground nearby.  He wiped his brow to remove some of the sweat that had accumulated there before he studied the younger boy thoughtfully, his eyes sweeping over his frame in a cursory examination.  "How ARE you feeling?" he asked softly as he walked closer to him, relishing the breeze that swept over him; it felt quite welcome on his perspiring skin.  The day, which had started out relatively cool, was quickly heating up under the sun's bright rays.

 

"Physically or mentally?" Justin asked.

 

"Both," Brian decided as he sat down next to him.

 

"Frustrated, confused, sore; sick of sitting around feeling like part of the scenery," was the honest response.

 

Brian nodded as he reached over to clasp his hand.  "I know," he told him softly.  "But if you're up to it tomorrow, you should be able to resume your training and your chores.  That is, if that's what you want."

 

Justin squinted over at him, the sun to Brian's back, as he asked, "Why wouldn't I?"

 

Brian shrugged.  "No reason, I guess," he told him.  "I know you are more than capable of taking care of yourself."  He curled his lips under and paused for a second before he added, "But I'd be lying if I didn't say I'll still be worrying about you...so don't intend on getting rid of my anytime soon, okay?"

 

Justin's heart skittered at Brian's heartfelt words as he nodded with a smile.  "I know better than that," he murmured.  Almost of one accord, their bodies edged closer until their lips were inches apart.

 

"Good," Brian replied, returning his smile before he leaned in further and pressed his lips against Justin's for a tender kiss.  Pulling back a few seconds later, they heard the distinctive rumble of Craig's pickup truck traveling up the dirt road in front of the farmhouse.  Shortly afterward, the door slammed and Craig walked around to lift a white sack from the back of the truck bed.

 

Brian sighed.  "I'd best get back to my chores," he told Justin as he briefly squeezed Justin's hand before letting it go.  Justin nodded, his gaze watching Brian's retreating back for a few moments, until he slid off the crate and decided to seek out his father, his mind never far from his conversation with Jared earlier.

 

* * *

 

Craig looked up from his place at his weather-beaten tractor as Justin's shadow brushed across the dirt floor of the barn.  "Justin? Something wrong?" he asked as Justin shuffled inside.

 

He shook his head.  "No, I'm feeling better," he assured him as Craig nodded in satisfaction.  "I should be ready to resume my training schedule with Headstrong tomorrow morning."

 

Craig could tell, however, that there was definitely something on his youngest boy's mind.  "You want to talk to me about something, though," he surmised as Justin walked over and sat down on a wooden milking stool.  They had long ago given up on raising any dairy cattle on their property, but the sturdy stool with the peeling paint on it had belonged to Justin's grandfather, and his mother could never part with it.  It occasionally came in handy, even now, for a place to perch when the traditional bale of straw wasn't an option.

 

Justin nodded his head as Craig cocked his head at him silently.  "Dad, I want to ask you a favor.

 

Craig wiped his grease-laden hands on a nearby rag before turning to peer over at his son.  "What sort of favor, Justin?"

 

"When...When Doug is released from jail - and when Jared gets ready to talk to him - I want to be there. I want to hear everything's that being said."

 

"Justin..."

 

"Dad, please!  Don't patronize me!  I need to know the truth!  Isn't that what you want, too?"

 

Craig pressed his lips together firmly before replying, "Of course I do!  I just don't see why you feel the need to be there, Justin!  That won't change anything. And I'm not even sure Billy will agree to it, anyway."

 

"No, it won't," Justin admitted.  "But it will prove to me once and for all whether Jared's telling the truth or not. And I feel I, above everyone else, has right to know that, don't you?"

 

"That's not in question," Craig told him quietly. He feathered his callused hand through his hair as he sighed in resignation.  "All right, Son.  I'll talk to Billy and relay your request to him.  But don't get your hopes up," he quickly warned him, noticing the spark of interest in his son's eyes.  "It's got to be against protocol, and he may very well say no."

 

Justin nodded, his heart thudding in his chest over the thought of finally getting some truth about what had happened.  "I understand," he told him father.  "Thank you."

 

Craig nodded back at him, watching as Justin turned and shuffled back outside.  He stared after him, his thoughts in turmoil, before he reached to pick up a nearby wrench and resumed his work on the tractor.

 

* * *

 

_Later that Evening..._

 

Justin grinned as he heard the familiar tap, tap, tap against the top pane of the glass.  Flinging his sheet aside, he walked the few steps over to his window and pulled it open.

 

"Ow!" he cried out as a pebble hit him square on the forehead.  "Brian!"

 

Brian shrugged in the moonlight, rolling his tongue in his cheek as Justin rolled his eyes at him.

 

"Sorry!  Saddle up your horse, pardner, and come on down," Brian urged him in a stage whisper as Justin nodded.

 

Barefoot and clad in a pair of lightweight sleep pants and no shirt, Justin crept quietly down the hallway and descended the steps, carefully avoiding all the well-known creaky spots and arriving a few minutes later at the back door.  Wincing as it squeaked slightly as he opened it, Brian held the door for him as he slipped outside.

 

"Hey," Brian greeted him as he pulled Justin into his arms.  "I missed you," he murmured as he plastered their upper bodies together before they kissed passionately.  They only broke apart to get some much-needed air several seconds later, both boys' arms around each other.  "How are you feeling?" he asked softly, the sounds of tree frogs and crickets resounding loudly around them in the still, night air.

 

Justin smiled, his heart thumping in response.  "Better - now that you're here," he replied with a smile, his hands slowly roaming over Brian's back.  His lover's hands felt so hot against his bare skin, even though the night air had cooled down considerably now that it was approaching midnight.

 

"Well, you were an obedient, little boy today," Brian praised him, chuckling as Justin snorted over the description.  "And you definitely deserve a reward for good behavior."

 

Justin waggled his eyebrows.  "Yes, I do," he agreed solemnly, causing Brian to laugh softly.  "So what do I get for my reward?"  He slowly slid his hands up and down Brian's back suggestively and pressed in closer, leaving no possibility of him being misunderstood.

 

Brian grinned.  "You really ARE feeling better," he murmured as he pulled Justin even closer.  He looked around the porch, a little disappointed he didn't see a good spot for what they both had in mind.  "Not here," he told the other boy as he tugged on his wrist and urged Justin toward the steps.

 

"Careful!" he warned as Justin almost tripped on the last step, wrapping his arm around the slender waist and deciding to keep it there, even after they were striding down the steps toward the back gate.

 

"Where are we going?" Justin asked curiously as Brian grinned.

 

"Impatient, are we?"

 

Justin slid his arm around Brian's waist as he replied, "Yes, WE are."

 

Brian laughed softly as he steered Justin toward the stables.  "Damn straight," he huskily responded.  "Come on," he urged him impatiently, marveling at how this boy could continue to enthrall him.

 

* * *

 

_A few minutes later..._

 

Despite his earlier wish to be alone with Justin, Brian lowered the boy gently onto the dirt, straw-covered floor of the stables, not realizing the significance of the covering beneath him being the same one they had used the first time they had been together.  It had only been a short time ago back at the pond, but to Brian with everything that had happened lately it seemed like almost an eternity.

 

The warm light from the oil lantern sitting nearby on the stall's wooden railing cast Justin in an enchanting, golden hue, and his lighter skin seemed to glow as Brian lay beside him, lying on his side as he braced himself with one elbow while one hand lightly trailed across Justin's shoulder.  He smiled as Justin shivered under his ticklish touch, both of them having discarded their clothing earlier with hasty dispatch.

 

"Brian..."

 

Brian grinned as he suddenly skimmed his fingers across Justin's tummy, making the other boy giggle in reaction.  "You are so ticklish," he murmured in amusement as Justin grabbed his hand to stop his torment.

 

"Stop that," he chided him with a stern look, his twinkling eyes belying his true feelings.  His smile slowly faded into something more intense as Brian stared into his eyes for a moment, their hands twined together, before he twisted his body to mold his torso against the other boy, lying now half-on, half off the blond.  Brian stared into his eyes, totally enchanted by how the flame from the oil lantern danced patterns of light against Justin's eyes.

 

_Oh, my God_ , he couldn't help thinking as he gazed down at the other boy.  _I am falling so damn hard for you..._

 

"What?" Justin asked softly as he reached up to brush the pads of his fingers across Brian's full, lower lip.

 

Brian shook his head reassuringly.  "Nothing," he murmured.  He didn't have the nerve to tell Justin what was in his heart at that moment, so he did the only thing he could:  he showed him through the touch of his lips on his, with the loving stroke of his hands on his body, and with the nonsensical murmurs that escaped his mouth as he slowly made love to the other boy.

 

"Brian..."

 

Brian lifted his head to peer into the flushed face of his lover several minutes later, Justin's lips now stung-kissed and his face a healthy, pink tint with the obvious signs of arousal and desire for him.  "What?" he whispered as he brushed some hair back from Justin's forehead.  "Tell me..."

 

"I want you inside me, Brian."

 

Brian nodded, his heart thumping in his chest at the thought.  "Are you sure...I mean, do you feel up to it?"

 

Justin grinned shyly as he took hold of Brian's left hand and moved it downward between them to cup his burgeoning cock.  "Oh, yeah.  I'm definitely up to the challenge," he reassured him as he squeezed Brian's fingers.  "I can always tell my parents I'm still sore from my injury if they ask."

 

Brian laughed softly.  "Very innovative," he told him as he reached for his pants to retrieve a small tube of lube and a condom from his jeans pocket.  He raised himself up onto his knees between Justin's legs temporarily to slide the condom over his own cock before applying some lube.  Seeing a pair of luminous, blue eyes staring up at him, he brushed the back of his hand across Justin's cheek.  It would kill him to stop now, but for Justin he would do anything if he asked.  "Justin, we don't have to do this," he murmured.  "We can just suck each other off - or just lie here and talk for a while.  And maybe do a LOT of kissing," he added with a smirk.

 

Justin shook his head, touched by Brian's thoughtfulness.  "Talk," he chided him, one eyebrow arched in indignation.  "I don't think so.  I told you what I want.  And I was promised compensation earlier for being such an ‘obedient, little boy,' as you so elegantly put it, remember?  So it's time to put out, Kinney, you got it?"

 

Brian grinned.  "Well, I never go back on my promises, so if you're sure," he replied.  His face turned tenderer as he squirted some more of the clear gel onto his fingers before hovering them near Justin's lower body.  "Tell me if I hurt you," he instructed the other boy as Justin nodded, holding onto Brian's upper arms for support as well as reassurance that this was, indeed, what he wanted.

 

First one finger and then two were soon inserted as Justin hissed in reaction.  Brian instantly stopped, earning a sharp rebuke from the other boy to keep going.

 

"Okay, okay," he grumbled with a clucking sort of sound.  "Awful bossy for someone who took a tumble from his horse."

 

"Brian...!"

 

Justin quickly shut up, however, as the fingers struck his sweet spot suddenly and he moaned in reaction.  "More," he demanded.  "You.  I want you...Brian, please..."

 

Brian nodded as he slowly withdrew his fingers and lined himself up.  Eyes locking on each other and their mutual desire clearly reflecting back at them on the other's face, Brian pushed in tentatively as Justin's fingernails dug into the muscled skin of his upper arms.

 

A horse whinnied nearby then - which one, neither of them was sure, as Justin whispered back in confirmation, "Yes...More..."

 

Brian couldn't help swooping down to steal a kiss from his lover's warm mouth as he pushed in deeper, hearing Justin moan against his lips.  Soon he was thrusting smoothly in and out of the smaller but surprisingly strong, lithe body, finding that Justin had been a quick learner.  His slender hips snapped perfectly in time with his thrusts as he continued to make love to him, their bodies a singular, fluid movement of symbiosis as he drew back and then pushed in harder, stronger, deeper, angling his body slightly to provide the younger boy with the greatest pleasure, over and over again, relishing in the whimpers and murmurs of pleasure escaping the perfect lips.

 

It was hard to hold back his own desires for the other boy - his feelings were so intense they actually scared him - and up until now he had never even worried about that.  But to his surprise, he found it was important to him this time.  Justin was important to him. For once in his life, Brian Kinney was putting his sexual partner's needs before his own.

 

"Brian," was the breathless scolding as the brunet focused his attention back on his blond lover.  "I won't break," he assured him as he gazed into his darkened eyes.  "Move," he urged him, his fingers grasping the other boy's strong biceps as Brian nodded.

 

Accelerating his movements then, it didn't take long for both of them to reach their respective orgasms a couple of minutes later.  Collapsing onto Justin initially, he reluctantly twisted aside several seconds later, grabbing the condom and tying it off to toss it onto the ground nearby before gathering the other boy's sweaty body in his arms to hold him close.  "You okay?" he whispered as he held him, feeling Justin's heart beating rapidly like a caged bird.

 

"Mm, hmm," was the languid, sated reply against his chest as Brian smiled.

 

"I'll take that as a yes," he decided as he pulled him closer.

 

Justin smiled back in return as he lifted his head to peer into Brian's.  "Brian?" he murmured thoughtfully as one hand slowly caressed a bare shoulder.

 

"Hmm?"

 

"I had a talk with my dad earlier today," he revealed as Brian silently waited for him to continue.  "I told him that when Jared does talk to Doug...I want to be there to listen to what he has to say."

 

Justin shook his head.  "I don't know," he responded honestly.  "But I think I have a right to be there...don't you?"

 

Brian briefly nudged the younger boy's nose with his before pulling back and whispering, "Of course you do," he reassured him.  "But are you prepared for what you might find out?"

 

Justin frowned as one hand came up to rest against the side of Brian's neck.  "What do you mean?"

 

"You realize Jared might say anything to save his ass, don't you?  You might find out he's in deeper than anyone realizes."

 

Justin swallowed hard.  "I know," he murmured as he stared into Brian's concerned face.  "But I have to know either way, Brian."

 

Brian nodded as he pulled Justin closer, placing his chin on top of the soft, blond head.  "I know you do," he told him softly.  "I just don't want you to be hurt anymore."

 

Justin smiled then, hearing the worry in his lover's voice.  "That's what I have you for. As long as I have you, I don't have to worry."

 

Brian closed his eyes then and let out a tense breath, continuing to hold Justin close as if trying to protect him from the rest of the world.  He felt his heart skip a beat over Justin's confidence and trust in him. No one had ever bestowed that type of precious gift on him, and it threatened to overwhelm him in its significance.  And while he wasn't sure he couldn't be the sort of omnipotent protector that Justin thought he could be, he DID know one thing:  as long as he had a breath left in his body, he would do everything he could to do just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will have another part of this up soon. I have more written - including part of the explanation for Dale's death - but did not want to wait any longer before posting this update. My sincere apologies for the long gap between chapter updates. My teaching year will be over soon, which will help my writing schedule. My father passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago, also, which obviously took priority over my writing. Thank you to those readers who are still following this story and for bearing with me. It WILL be completed, as will my other WIP. I deeply appreciate everyone's support.


	25. Horror and Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared goes undercover to try and discover the truth behind Justin's injuries, learning some shocking discoveries along the way.

_Two Days Later -_

"You do realize how unorthodox this is," Billy Renfro informed his guests, who were presently sitting around him in his cramped, stifling office.  He dotted his brow with an old-fashioned handkerchief to remove the perspiration there, silently bemoaning the fact that he had to work in such an antiquated building.  "If the city council ever finds out what I'm doing..."

 

"Billy, you know we won't say a word," Craig assured him quietly, glad that the man operating the surveillance equipment in the corner was an old acquaintance of his.  He and the deputy, Charlie Griswold, had run into each other at the small barber shop down the street one day about a year ago, bonding over cups of coffee as they waited their turn for a haircut, and it had become a regular ritual since then every eight weeks or so.  He had never realized how such a simple encounter, though, would come in handy in this situation.  He _was_ grateful, however, that both men knew him and were, therefore, comfortable enough with both him - and his son - being in the room.  He would not have been content to just sit on his hands back home while this was going on; there was far too much at stake.

 

Billy sighed as he nodded.  "You'd better not," he told them.  "Or this kid's attorney will do his best to throw out any conviction on a technicality, whether he can legitimately or not.  Just make sure you stay quiet, no matter WHAT is said."

 

Craig exchanged a look with his son before nodding; Justin was sitting next to him on the opposite side of Billy's rather dilapidated, wooden oak desk, anxiously playing with his hands clasped in his lap.  "He won't be able to hear us, will he?" he asked, voicing the same question his son wanted to ask.

 

Billy shook his head.  "No," he admitted.  "But I want to make sure I can hear everything clearly that's being said.  And I know you want your son vindicated of any wrongdoing, or you wouldn't be here.  So...just stay out of the way, keep quiet, and let us do our jobs, okay?" 

 

Craig huffed a little indignantly in insult, but finally nodded tersely.  "Okay, okay," he grumbled as they heard what sounded like a door opening and closing over the listening equipment. Billy placed his fingers over his lips as he nodded over at his deputy, who gave him an affirmative thumbs up that everything seemed to be working properly.  Billy nodded in satisfaction as he quietly sat back down in his chair with Craig and Justin, waiting with hitched breath in the pregnant silence.

 

Justin could feel beads of nervous perspiration breaking out on his forehead; how he wished at that moment that Brian was here with him!  He wanted him there so badly for support, but it had been hard enough getting the okay for him and his father to sit in on this clandestine operation as it was.  He knew, however, that a certain someone would be anxiously waiting for him back at the Walkers, and that he would want to hear all about it upon his return.   _I only hope it's good news I can give him,_ he thought fretfully; he tensed then as he heard some additional kind of noise through the surveillance equipment.  Glancing to his side, he realized that the worried expression on his face was mirrored by his father's as Craig nodded tersely back at him.

 

* * *

_Same Time...Across Town_

 

Jared wiped the sweat from his forehead with the hem of his tee shirt, his legs crossed at the ankles and his back leaning against the front of his friend's tattered couch.  Doug's apartment was fairly cool, actually, with the overhead ceiling fan presently turned up on high, but as the minutes ticked by - and the arrival of his friend became more imminent - his anxiety level rose substantially.  The other day, he had been so sure this was the right course of action to take; not only to clear his own name, but to prove to his brother and parents once and for all that he was not some cold-hearted bastard, bent on hurting his family.  While he may have been angry with Justin over the Kinney boy - and astounded that his father had the balls to throw him out of the house and take Justin's side - he would never stoop so low as to physically harm his younger brother.  He couldn't stand the idea of being implicated in Justin's injury at the track, let alone winding up in jail as a result.  No, this was the only way to totally exonerate himself, and extricate himself from the situation.  That meant, however, that he had to pull this off without making his normally shrewd friend suspicious; therein lay the challenge.

 

He could feel the thin wire scratching his skin as he moved, wondering how he was going to manage to look nonchalant in the face of such a monumental, critical task. But he had no choice; if he couldn't convince Doug to tell the truth about what had happened, there was a damn good chance he would be charged with assault just like the other boy was.   He couldn't afford an attorney to fight the charge if that occurred, and he had a feeling there was a good chance his father and mother wouldn't help with one, either.  No, this was it.  This was his one chance to prove himself, so he didn't dare blow it.

 

Reaching over to grab the marijuana cigarette lying on the lip of a metal ashtray sitting on the floor, he inhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves.  He savored the long drag, feeling the effects of the drug as it slowly relaxed him; he let out a sigh, feeling the tension slowly ebbing away, just in time to jump, startled, as he heard the lock to the apartment door rattling.  He licked his lips nervously and inhaled a deep breath, praying that the wire was working perfectly and every sound, every word that was about to be uttered would be recorded. Would it be enough, though? 

 

He held his breath as he heard a key being inserted into the lock, and then someone trying to open the door before they gave the wooden door a shove; it always HAD stuck whenever it had been raining, and a morning shower had made the air quite humid.  He heard Doug utter an expletive under his breath as he finally entered, and then his footsteps stopping short. 

 

"What the fuck are YOU doing here?" Doug growled, glaring over at him.

 

Jared made a show of shrugging, seemingly nonchalantly, before he turned his head and replied, "Where the hell _else_ wouldI go?  I was kicked out of my house, remember?  And thanks to you, I don't even have a damn dollar to my name now."

 

Doug shuffled closer, eyeing the other boy carefully.  "How did you get in here?  And I don't remember forcing you to go along with me to the track," he reminded him.

 

"You told me about the extra key down in Scooter's office, remember?  Hanging up with all those other keys he has on the wall?"

 

Doug nodded after a moment in recollection.  "Oh, yeah."  He narrowed his brows at his friend.  "So nice that you could hang out here and smoke my weed while my ass was sitting in jail, then." 

 

"That wasn't MY fault," Jared maintained stiffly. 

 

"Oh, yeah?"  Doug walked over and snatched the joint out of Jared's hand before taking a puff.  "Well, how did they find out what I did, then, Jared?  Huh?" he asked, as he glowered down at him.

 

"What the fuck, Doug?  Was I supposed to take the fall for _you_?  I had nothing to do with spiking my brother's drink, and you know it." 

 

"Maybe not," Doug conceded harshly as Jared's heart jumped into his throat over his friend's words, clearing him of any complicity.  "But you didn't have to rat on me."

 

"They asked me if I had anything to do with it!" Jared replied defensively, even though he had actually gone to the sheriff's deputy himself voluntarily.  "Someone had seen us near Headstrong's stall. What was I supposed to do, then?"  The truth was, no one had actually seen them around that time - but Doug had no way of knowing that. 

 

"Well, still..."  Doug's voice trailed off.  "You could have provided me with an alibi somehow."

 

Jared snorted as he continued his lie.  "Yeah, right. After someone spotted us near the stalls just before the race?  Not too likely."  He paused to stare over at his friend as Doug walked over and sat down next to him.  "So why did you do it exactly?  Just to make sure Justin didn't win?  I thought you said Robbie Andrews would win anyway."  He reached over and snagged the marijuana joint from his friend's hand to take another puff.

 

"I still think he would have," Doug maintained.  "But I had to make sure. And the only way to do that was to take your brother out of commission temporarily."

 

"It could have been a lot more than _temporary_!" Jared retorted, suddenly upset over how cavalier his friend was being. "Justin's allergic to a lot of things, and he took a nasty fall because of you; you could have _killed_ him, Doug!"

 

"Nah," was the dismissal in response.  "That kid has nine lives, like a fucking cat.  My father told me he's going to be just fine."  He sneered at his long-time friend.  "Besides, you don't have to worry about your snot-nosed brother, anyway.  From what YOU'VE told me, Kinney should take good care of him during his recovery period." 

 

Justin's face darkened over Doug's harsh words. He already knew how cold the boy could be, but now he liked him even less.  He didn't know shit about what Brian was like, and he couldn't be more wrong about him.

 

"Shut up, Doug," Jared warned him, the thought of the other boy preferring his younger brother still painful.  "I just want to know why it was so fucking important that you took my brother ‘out of commission,' as you eloquently put it.  So you could win on a lousy twenty-dollar bet?  Was it worth going to jail for, for God's sake?"

 

Doug glared at him.  "Of _course_ not! Do you think I'm stupid, Jared?  It wasn't because of just that." 

 

Justin's brother shook his head in confusion. "Then why the hell would you do it, then?" 

 

"Because I had no _choice_!"

 

Jared huffed in exasperation.  "Everyone has a choice!"

 

"Not if someone's threatening to stuff your ass in a septic tank somewhere!"  Doug shuddered then.

 

Justin's eyes grew large as he peered over at his father in confusion. _What in the world_?  Craig shook his head, then, signaling that he was as perplexed over that statement as he was.

 

"What are you talking about?" Jared asked then, bewildered.

 

Doug sighed as he placed the joint back down on the ashtray to explain, "I...I got into some deep shit trouble with some people.  Some real heavy hitters.  It was my only way out."

 

"Trouble?"  He harrumphed in irritation over his friend's obtuseness.  "Heavy hitters?  What _kind_ of trouble?"

 

"Big city trouble.  Trouble that hounds you and keeps you awake at night, until you can't hide anymore." 

 

Jared blew out an exasperated breath.  "For fuck's sake, Doug!  Will you stop being so damn melodramatic, and just tell me what you mean?"

 

"I'm _trying_ to!" Doug retorted.  He paused for several seconds, causing the others back at the police station to wonder temporarily if the surveillance equipment was still working properly or not, until they heard him speaking again.  "You know I used to work summers out at Red Mill while we were in high school..."

 

Jared rolled his eyes.  "How could I forget? You were always bragging about how you were able to score big out behind the grandstand."

 

Doug nodded.  "Yeah, well, that's not all I was scoring back there," he informed him tersely.

 

Justin's brother snorted.  "Yeah, I know; you were getting wasted, too...or stoned.  Or both."

 

Jared shook his head in irritation.  "Not just that.  All that booze and pot didn't come cheap," he informed Jared.  "And my parents weren't worth shit when it came to asking for money to pay for what I wanted...at least not enough for _my_ taste."

 

"Your old man the doc makes a LOT of money in this town," Jared pointed out.  "A lot more than MY old man does."

 

Craig winced over that statement, as true as it was, before Kesterson continued.

 

"Maybe," the other boy conceded, his lips pursed together.  "But when it came to giving me some REAL spending money, my dad clammed up tighter than a virgin on her wedding night."

 

Jared furrowed his brow in frustration, feeling this line of conversation wasn't getting him anywhere. Thankfully, he had already gotten Doug to admit he had nothing to do with lacing Justin's drink. But he felt he needed more, and his curiosity was definitely aroused, so he asked, "What does all this have to do with Justin?" 

 

"I'm getting to that.  I made some bets at the track, thinking it would be easy to win.  And at first it was. But then I had a streak of bad luck, and I needed some more betting money to recoup my losses. So I heard about some people at the track back then that could help me out..."

 

At last, Jared's mouth dropped open in realization.  _"Help_ you _?_ Shit, man, are you talking about some kind of fucking loan sharks?" 

 

"I had no choice!" Doug yelled.  "What was I supposed to _do_?  I needed more money than my old man was willing to give me, and I thought it would just be temporary until I won it back at the track." He sighed.  "But I kept losing and losing...And it was like a bad cycle that never ended. Every time I lost, I kept thinking that I would win big the next time, but I didn't.  I always thought if I just had a little more money..." 

 

"Are you fucking kidding me?  How about not betting at _all_ , you asshole?" Jared snarled, his face contorted in astonishment.  He thought back to all the times he had spent with his friend in high school, and how Doug's fortune had prospered and waned so dramatically at times, sometimes from week to week.  His addiction to betting on the horses, then, made a lot of sense.  Parts of what he was telling him, however, did NOT make sense.  "So...you're telling me that you deliberately put that drug in my brother's drink so you could guarantee that he wouldn't finish?  That was your way of paying back the loan sharks?" 

 

Doug gave his friend a ‘duh' look as he snorted heartlessly back at him, making Jared sick to his stomach.  "That was the plan," he told him as he took another drag off the marijuana joint.  "They told me if I could throw the race, they would ‘forget' about my debts.  We didn't count on your brother being so pigheaded, though."

 

"So you agreed to go along with it? Just like that?"

 

The other boy huffed indignantly.  "No, it wasn't _just like that_!  Do you think I would have risked landing my ass in jail - or worse - if I had been offered some other choice?  They threatened to KILL me if I didn't do it, man!  It was either your brother - or me."

 

"So you just decided to go along with it to save your sorry ass, even though Justin could have been killed? You piece of shit!" 

 

"I had to do what I had to do," was the cryptic reply as Doug took another hit from the cigarette.  He shrugged.  "Besides, he came out okay." 

 

"But it didn't solve your problem, did it?  Justin WON. So what are you going to do now, hotshot?  They're STILL going to be after you."

 

"Don't you think I know that?" Doug snapped.  He sighed.  "I don't _know_ what I'm going to do!  I wish I had never gotten involved with them back in high school.  Then none of this would have ever happened." 

 

"No shit," Jared muttered, his eyes narrowed in disgust. 

 

Doug leaned back against the couch cushion, despair washing over him.  "I should have just left it all alone.  I didn't expect him to get killed," he murmured.  "It wasn't supposed to go down that way.  I did what they said.  But it wasn't enough; it was _never_ enough for them.  It'll NEVER be enough for them.  I'll never get my debt paid off. I realize that now."  The normally cocky, arrogant boy suddenly transformed into a scared little kid as he whined to Jared, "What am I going to do?"

 

Jared's eyes grew wide as saucers as his friend's words sunk in.  "What are you talking about, Doug?  You said you didn't expect him to get killed.  Justin wasn't killed."  Dread filled him over the other boy's words.  "Oh, shit.  Please tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying," he begged, the knowledge that everything they said being overheard completely forgotten now.  "You're not talking about Justin anymore...are you?" 

 

A veil quickly covered Doug's face as he realized what he had just said.  "If you know what's good for you, Jared, you'll completely forget what you just heard," he warned him flatly, his voice hard as stone.  "Or you'll wind up dead, too.  These are not small-town goons you're dealing with.  It's a million-dollar business.  The only reason they've let me live so far is because of my old man being so well-known in town, and the fact that I had access to what they needed and where they needed me to go. And they knew if they offed ME, the sheriff wouldn't let it rest."  He snorted derisively.  "And having the threat of death over your head makes you clam up real good, too," he explained meaningfully.

 

"Oh, my God."  Jared felt bile rising in his throat.  The name on the tip of his tongue promptly was pushed aside, but there could be no denying who Doug was referring to.  "Everyone said it was an accident; an awful accident.  How could you...?"

 

"I said drop it," the other boy told him curtly, his voice filled with deadly calm.  "You want to wind up dead, too?" 

 

"No..." Jared murmured, absolutely horrified now.  "But if you don't go to the police, what will stop them from killing you anyway?"

 

"As long as they think I'm useful to them - and I don't rat them out - they won't do that." As least Doug hoped so; secretly he had been agonizing over the same thing.  "They know I'll do what they want me to do."  He took another calming drag from the joint as he added, "I have no choice now, and they know that.  I'm going to have to do whatever it takes to stay alive."

 

Jared's face paled with dread.  "So you would risk getting someone else killed again - just to save your own damn skin?  You would do something like this again?"

 

Doug's eyes flashed.  "Wouldn't you?  Would YOU want to end up dead?  I TOLD you, Jared!  You'd better keep your fucking mouth shut now - or they will shut it FOR you!  You got it?"

 

Jared inhaled a deep breath and let it out.  "Yeah," he told him through gritted teeth.  "I got it." 

 

Doug nodded.  "Smart boy," he growled.  He wrinkled up his nose.  "Shit, I reek.  I'm going to go take a shower; a REAL shower," he told Jared as he took one last inhale from the joint and set it down.  He smiled then as if were just another, ordinary day.  "How about ordering us some pizza, man? They feed you shit in that jail!"  He reached inside his pocket to retrieve a twenty-dollar bill and placed it down on the floor next to the other boy.  "I'll even buy," he told him with a smirk.  "Consider it a gift from my old man." 

 

Jared nodded back at him silently as he stood up and headed toward the small bathroom down the hall, missing the look of horror and desolation on his friend's face. 

 

* * *

_Same Time..._

 

Billy Renfro, face drawn with anger, made a slicing motion with his hand across the front of his neck as a signal to the deputy to close off the surveillance equipment; apparently the Kesterson boy was not going to be any more forthcoming about what he had just been discussing.  What he HAD said, however, was much more than he had ever hoped to hear - and a lot more disconcerting.  He turned to peer over at Craig and his youngest boy, holding his hand up to signal for them not to speak until Griswold nodded to indicate he had closed off the signal successfully. 

 

He waited until Charlie nodded back at him before he spoke. "Holy shit," he murmured as he shook his head in shock.  "I don't believe this." 

 

"You know who that boy was talking about...don't you?" Craig replied quietly, both worry and disgust etched across his face.  "It wasn't Justin. He was talking about someone being _killed_.  He had to be talking about..."

 

"...Dale," the sheriff answered grimly.  "Yeah, I know."  He shook his head sadly.  "I've seen addictions destroy lives.  Alcohol, drugs, gambling.  This boy seems to have all three issues. And apparently it's led him to do some horrible things."

 

Justin's mouth hung open in shock, a knot in the pit of his stomach.  "Dale?  He was responsible for his death?  How?" 

 

"Well, there was no drug panel done after his death," Billy reminded them.  "Everyone assumed it was just an unfortunate accident.  But now..."  He stared over at his technician, who was collecting his equipment.  "Now I think we know better." 

 

Justin couldn't believe his ears.  "Oh, my God," he murmured in disbelief.  "He...he caused Dale's death?  How could he _do_ that?"

 

Renfro eyed him sympathetically.  "Son, being mired in debt and feeling hopeless makes people do desperate things.  Maybe it's like he says; he didn't realize Dale would wind up killed as a result of what he did.  That boy has always had a rebellious streak, but personally I think he's not the smartest chip off the block.  I don't think he could have engineered that on his own if he tried."

 

"But it happened anyway, didn't it?" Justin pointed out.  "Does he realize what he did to the Walkers?  How it nearly killed them as well?  Does he?" 

 

"People who are drowning in debts to loan sharks and are being threatened with bodily injury don't think about that, Justin.  They only think about themselves, not the consequences," Billy told him grimly.

 

Craig asked, "But this should exonerate Jared, though...right?  This proves he wasn't involved with what happened to Justin." 

 

Renfro thought for a moment before finally nodding. "I reckon that would be right," he finally agreed.  "Your boy appears to be telling the truth after all."  He rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment before he stated, "Maybe there's a way we can use their little conversation just now to our advantage for both of their sakes." 

 

Craig frowned as he glanced over at his youngest boy.  "What do you mean?"

 

The sheriff replied quietly, "I think it's time we go talk to the Doc...and the Walkers." 

 

 

 

 

 

_Thirty Minutes Later - Walker Farm_

 

"Try it now!" Brian shouted over to his uncle.  He really had no idea what he was doing with the combine he was working on, but just like with a lot of his uncle's other equipment, this one was in less-than-ideal working order, having fallen victim to too little funds being available to properly work on it and maintain it in good functioning condition.  He found, though, that helping his uncle to repair and/or improve some of his farm equipment was a satisfying substitute to working on hot rods.  Not nearly as exhilarating as being able to race one down a lonely, country road. But nonetheless he did derive some pleasure out of helping his uncle out. 

 

He held his breath as he peered up at his uncle in the driver's cab of the combine, and waited for him to turn the key in the ignition. A few seconds later, the combine sputtered and then the engine roared to life. A few more hiccups in the motor, and it finally smoothed out.  He couldn't help smiling in reaction as his uncle's face also broke out into a surprised but pleased smile.

 

"Well, I'll be," he murmured in wonderment as he grinned down at his mechanically-talented nephew.  "You did it, Son!" he shouted down at him, giving him a thumbs up of approval.

 

Brian blushed at the praise as he nodded up at him, wiping his greasy hands on a rag before stuffing it in his jeans pocket.  He and his uncle had been working on the combine for the past couple of hours, providing him with a much-needed diversion from what he knew was occurring in town at the moment. His thoughts, however, never strayed too far from Justin.  He was aware he and Craig were with the sheriff right now, hopefully gaining some information from Jared and Doug about what had happened at the track the other day. 

 

He heard his uncle shut the motor off before hopping down onto one of the huge tires and then jumping deftly onto the ground.  "That's the smoothest it's sounded in ages," he admitted to his nephew with grudging respect.  It's going to be a big help come fall harvest. I don't know what I would have done if I wasn't able to use the baler with it."  He paused as he eyed his nephew thoughtfully, a newfound respect in his eyes.  "Thank you," he murmured sincerely. 

 

Brian nodded.  "I'm...I'm glad I could help."  And he meant it.  He wasn't sure what was happening to him. But something was changing for all of them, including him.  These people were simple folk, uncomplicated, perhaps boring to someone looking in from the outside. But they were also hardy, compassionate, and they _cared_ about him, something that was entirely new to him.  They _needed_ him, too.  And he found that he liked that feeling of being important to someone, of making a difference in someone's lives. 

 

Will tugged on the bill of his green John Deere cap, his piercing eyes squinting against the bright, mid-morning sun as he stared over at his nephew.  He nodded finally, a silent acknowledgement of the truth, before he told him gruffly, "We'd best be getting back to the house for dinner."

 

Brian frowned; it was 12:30, way too early for that.  "Dinner?  Have we been out here longer than I thought, Uncle Will, or is the heat starting to get to you?" he teased him.  He immediately wondered if that sarcastic response would evoke a biting retort from the other man, but to his surprise his uncle walked the couple of steps over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. 

 

"Time for you to learn the difference between ‘dinner' and ‘supper' if you're going to hang around here," he told him with a smirk.  "Come on, let's go; your aunt's waiting on us."  Just then, Dale's dog, Solomon, came running up to them, circling around them as he bayed to get their attention. 

 

"See, I told you," Will pointed out.  "She's sent out the cavalry to sound the alarm.  That dog won't quit, either, until we do what he wants and follow him back to the house.  He thinks he's Lassie sometimes."

 

 Brian laughed.  "Okay, okay," he told the dog, who hopped up and down excitedly on his feet and began to chase his tail in jubilation.  "We're coming."   He felt his uncle's hand remain on his shoulder as they began to walk back from the barn to the house.

* * *

 

Sarah glanced up as the back screen door banged, and her ‘two boys' entered.  "Any luck?" she inquired.

 

Will grinned.  "Brian did it again; got old Buster started when I thought he was terminal."

 

Brian laughed.  "Buster?  Do you always name your machinery?"

 

Will shrugged.  "Some people name their vehicles or their animals; I prefer to be different. Before you got it fixed I was calling it _something else_."  

 

Brian grinned back at him.  "I can imagine," he told him. 

 

"Ready for some dinner?" Sarah asked as she placed a glass pitcher of iced tea down onto the table.  "Go wash up, and I'll have it on the table by the time you're back.  Got a big pot of beans and ham for you two." 

 

Brian nodded as he walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway, heading up the steps to one of the two bathrooms located on the second floor.  Will turned to follow him, only to have Sarah grab his sleeve to stop him. 

 

"Will, I need to talk to you about something."

 

"What's wrong, Sarah?" Will asked, immediately picking up on the look of anxiety on her face.  "Burn the cornbread?" he teased her. 

 

Sarah shook her head.  "No, Will, this is serious." 

 

The half-smile on her husband's face disappeared as he asked, "What's going on?" 

 

"I got a call earlier.  From the sheriff." 

 

Will's face darkened.  "What did he want?" he asked quietly. 

 

"He wants to come out and speak to us. About Dale." She watched as her husband's fists clenched together in reaction. 

 

"What about him?"

 

Sarah shook her head.  "I don't know. He wouldn't go over it on the phone. Said he had to talk to us face-to-face."  Sarah glanced down the hallway, making sure Brian wasn't coming back down, before she continued.  "What do you think it means?" 

 

"Not sure."  Will pressed his lips together, the memories of what had happened to their son flooding back into his mind.  No matter how hard he tried to forget what had happened, he couldn't.  "But if he's wanting to come here and talk to us, it must be important."

 

Sarah nodded.  "Will...You know what Brian told us earlier.  About Jared - and the doc's son."

 

Will stared over at her in dreadful comprehension.  "What are you saying, Sarah?"

 

"I don't _know_!" she cried out.  "I don't want to think what I'm thinking...but don't you think there's a connection there somehow?  Why would Billy want to come out and speak to us now?  After all these years?  He must know something, Will.  Something that maybe we don't want to hear."

 

Will opened up his arms instinctively as Sarah's eyes filled with tears; she rushed into his embrace as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.  "Maybe you're right, Missy," he murmured.  "But we have to, anyway. For our son's sake." 

 


	26. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sarah finally learn the truth behind their son's death.

_Five Minutes Later..._

Brian noticed the quiet immediately as he walked down the short hallway back toward the kitchen.  That wasn't so unusual where his uncle was concerned, but it _was_ with his aunt, especially around meal times.  She was normally quite ebullient, in fact, chatting away constantly whenever she was bustling around the kitchen and scurrying to get their food on the table, so this was somewhat unusual.

They peered over at him as he walked in, and he immediately knew something was wrong.  His heart pounded; did it have to do with Justin somehow?  He hadn't had the chance to speak with him since he and his father traveled into town to listen in on Jared and the Kesterson boy's conversation. Was that the reason why their faces looked so haunted? 

"What's going on?" he asked as he stopped, frozen in his tracks.

"Sit down, Brian," Will replied quietly.  He and Sarah had discussed what to tell Brian while he had been upstairs, and had decided they would tell him the truth; at least as much as they knew at this point, anyway. 

Brian pulled out the wooden chair closest to him and took a seat across from his aunt and uncle.  "Is this about Justin?" he asked.  "Have you heard anything yet?"  He had told them last night what was going to happen today; he knew how much his Aunt Sarah, especially, loved Justin. 

He noticed his aunt and uncle briefly exchanging a silent look before Will nodded.  "In a way," he said cryptically.

"What do you mean, _in a way_?  Is he okay?"  He began to rise from his seat to go find out for himself, only to have Will reach over and grab his wrist to keep him in place.

He shook his head.  "Hold on, Brian.  Sarah asked about him, and Billy said he's all right.  But the sheriff's on his way out to talk to us."

"Renfro?" 

Will nodded.

"Well, if it's not about Justin, then why else would he be on his way out here now?"

"We're not sure, honey," Sarah told him softly.  "All we know is that Billy called while you and your uncle were out working on the combine, and he told me that he needed to come out and talk with us."

Brian played with the teaspoon in front of him, all sorts of possibilities floating around in his head.  "That's all he said about it? He didn't mention how it went earlier?" 

"No, that's all he would say over the phone," Sarah confirmed.  "But...We can't help thinking that it...because he wants to come out the same day that Jared was going to talk with Doug, that...that..."

"Now don't go jumping to conclusions just yet, Missy," Will warned her. But he couldn't help thinking the same, exact thing. 

Brian's eyes widened.  It didn't take him long to draw the same conclusions as his aunt and uncle had.  "You think it might have something to do with my cousin?"  

"We don't know for sure..." Will admitted, but that did not deter his nephew.

"...But you think it does."  Brian idly stuck his teaspoon in the china sugar bowl nearby, fidgeting as he took turns scooping some up and then placing it back down into the bowl as he tried to find a way to expend his nervous energy.  His thoughts were not only focused on his aunt and uncle, but a certain boy who lived next door.  What exactly happened at the sheriff's office?  He couldn't wait to see Justin, and reassure himself that he, was, indeed okay.   But he also knew at the moment, he needed to be there for his family.  "Why else would he be coming out here?"

"Maybe he wants to discuss what we know about the Kesterson boy. We _are_ familiar with him."

Brian nodded; that made sense, but still didn't seem plausible to him.  "Was he friends with Dale?" 

"Friends is too strong a word," his uncle told him tersely, remembering how the Kesterson boy always seemed to be simmering with bitterness and hostility the few times he had encountered him, either at the local high school or at the track.  There was always something disconcerting about the Doc's boy, something just beneath the surface that made him uneasy, in addition to the disdain, if not outright jealousy, he always seemed to display around their son. 

"He was a year behind Dale," Sarah quietly explained as Brian glanced over at her curiously.  "They were the same age, actually, but he had been kept back a year in school for some unknown reason when he was in junior high."  She paused, a heaviness settling into her stomach and a sense of dread over Billy's impending visit.   "I...I always thought he was envious of our son, and what he had accomplished."  The insinuation she did not express aloud lay pregnant in the air, but it was obvious to all of them what she wasn't saying - and what she was fearing.  She, too, thought this was all too big a coincidence; not on the same day that Jared was being questioned about Justin's injuries - and at the same location.  Wasn't it?  How she prayed that it _was_ just an eerie, unpleasant happenstance, a convergence of unfortunate circumstances, someone's idea of a cruel joke. But Sarah was a shrewd woman.  She suspected there was much more to it than that.  Regardless, all of them were about to find out. 

Just then, the distinctive sound of someone coming up the dirt road shared by both residences caused her pulse to race in anxious anticipation; no one could approach from _that_ road without being detected.  She knew each rut, each pothole, intimately enough to know that the vehicle was going to stop at their place rather than the Taylors'.  She shared a look with her husband and nephew before Will scooted back from his chair and, wiping his hands on his denim overalls, walked over to the backdoor, just as the sound of a car door being opened could be heard.

Will swung the screen door open as he greeted their guest.  "Billy," he quietly said as the portly man took his cap off and walked inside, nodding curtly at Sarah and Brian.

"Coffee, Billy?" Sarah asked as the sheriff shook his head.

"No, thanks, Sarah," he told her.  His face was grim and lacking any remnant of his usual easygoing nature as he continued.  "I need to speak with you...regarding your son." 

Will swallowed hard; it wasn't unexpected what Billy was saying - but it was still sobering to know that their suspicions had just been confirmed.  He nodded.  "Have a seat, Billy," he told him as the sheriff nodded and walked over to take his place at the end of the table, perpendicular to the others.  He gently laid his cap down onto the tablecloth, the fabric's cheerfulness in stark contrast to the reason for his visit today.

Will stood in his place for a few moments before moving to join the others, electing to stand as he placed his hand on his wife's shoulder from behind.  He wasn't sure if he was doing it to reassure and comfort himself or her, however.

"We're listening," he told Billy quietly, wondering if it was possible they were finally going to find out what exactly had happened that day to their son.  In a way, he did not want to know. But he also knew it was going to be inevitable; they owed that much to their son.

Billy nodded as he glanced over at their nephew.  He didn't know him well enough to really form an opinion of him; just what he had observed at the track.  "Okay to speak in front of the boy?" he asked them. 

"Of course," Will told him in a surly manner, as if that were a foolish question. 

"Okay," Billy replied.  "Well, I'm not sure you're aware that the Taylors' oldest boy, Jared, agreed to help us with the investigation surrounding his brother's injury at Red Mill."

Will nodded as he glanced over at Brian briefly.  "Yes.  We knew that he was going to try and prove that he had nothing to do with what happened, like he claimed.   Justin told our nephew," he explained. 

Billy scratched the back of his head for a moment as he nodded; he figured as much.  Out here information spread faster than a mid-summer brush fire.  "Well, he went through with his meeting with the Kesterson boy at the boy's apartment in town," he reported.  "...And we were able to corroborate his story." 

Brian spoke up then. "So he _didn't_ have anything to do with what happened to Justin, just like he claimed?"  For some reason, he still had trouble believing that in light of Jared's previous behavior. 

"Reckon not," Billy replied.  "I would say _definitely_ not, in fact. He got Doug to admit that he had nothing to do with his plan."  He eyed the older couple carefully before proceeding.  "He talked about why he had placed the ketamine in Justin's drink to try and throw the race...Along with some other things."  He briefly avoided looking at the Walkers then, choosing instead to gaze out at the window across from his place at the table, seemingly trying to gather his thoughts first before he spoke again.

Sarah reached up behind her to grip her husband's hand in hers as she stoically faced their friend.  "Billy...tell us. There's got to be a good reason why you wanted to see us in person. So just tell us why.  Please." 

Brian found that he was holding his breath; his mind in a dilemma. He couldn't stop thinking about Justin - about how he was doing right now. But he also suspected that his aunt and uncle needed him here.  So as much as he wanted to bolt right out of the house and go see the younger boy, he remained in his seat as the sheriff nodded back at them.

"The Kesterson boy's trouble started a lot earlier than the incident with Justin.  Doug told Jared that he originally got into trouble with some gambling back in high school.  He kept betting and betting, and wound up eventually borrowing some money from a group of loan sharks who were hanging around the track. When he couldn't come up with the money to pay them back and they threatened to hurt him, however - or worse - he was told they would forgive his debt.  Under one condition."

Will's face drew into a tight knot, while Sarah's eyes widened in horror. Before Billy could say anything further, they knew. Somehow they knew what he was going to say before he could say it.  "No..." she whispered, feeling Brian's hand on her forearm, and her husband's hand gripping hers almost painfully now.

"I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, Sarah - and Will."  Billy steeled himself.  He had lost count of how many times he had been forced to deliver bad news to townspeople, but that never made it any easier, especially when you considered most of them to be friends.  He took a deep breath before continuing, knowing it had to be said nevertheless.  "...But apparently Doug somehow arranged for Dale's accident, too.  He insisted to Jared that he didn't know he would be killed.  But the end result was still the same." 

"Oh, my God!" Sarah cried out, as she clapped her free hand over her mouth in horror, her eyes glimmering with tears.  She has somehow known Billy was going to say those words before he spoke them, but it still didn't make it any less shocking.  "No...No..." she murmured. 

"I wish I could say the boy was lying - or bragging in some sick way," Billy told them as he gazed at the couple with sorrow.  "But he couldn't have any way of knowing Jared was wired and that we were listening in. And I've been in this business long enough to be a good judge of whether someone is lying or not.  And I say he was being honest about his involvement in it." 

Will's hand was shaking in her own; she didn't have to see his face to know that his emotions were reflective of her own. 

"What did he say about our Dale?" he asked him.  Sarah thought that was probably the first time her husband had spoken their son's name aloud since that dreadful day so many years ago.  "I want to know what he did to our boy." 

Billy peered over at the couple whose eyes were filled with pain, but also resolve.   "Just enough to implicate himself in your son's death," the sheriff told them." He paused.  "All he told us was that he was the one who caused his fall.  But he did not elaborate on how he did it.  He did indicate that he was doing it as a middleman.  There are bigger fish involved here than the Kesterson boy," he explained quietly.  He stared over at them for a couple of seconds before he finally got to the main point of his visit.  "That's where you come in. That's why I'm here." 

"What do you mean?" Will growled.  "Why aren't you questioning Doc's son right now about what he told Jared?  You have what you want from him about Justin.  Now we need to know more about our son! He should be back in jail right now!"

"It's not that simple, Will," the sheriff reprimanded him; a little miffed that he was trying to tell him how to do his job. He might be a small-town sheriff, but he had been doing it for years, and he knew what was needed to be done in this case.  "As I said, the Kesterson kid is a pawn in this situation.  In _both_ situations.  We need to find out who's behind all this.  And in my opinion, there's only one way to go about it." 

Will bristled.  "You mean to tell me that, that... _killer_...is walking around scot free right now?  After he outright admitted that he caused my boy's death?  What kind of sheriff ARE you?  He should have been arrested the second he admitted what he did!  Not to mention, he was responsible for Justin's injuries, too.  Or have you forgotten that?  If he wasn't the doctor's son, would you have treated him this way?"

"Will..."  Sarah began, but her husband pulled back from her touch and glared over at the uniformed man. 

"No, I want an answer, damn it!" 

Brian's eyes grew wide. He thought this might be the first time he had ever heard his uncle utter a swear word.  He supposed he couldn't blame him in this case.  And it was mild compared to what he would say.

"Now wait just a minute, William Walker," Billy growled back at him, a pulse throbbing in his burly neck over the insinuation.  "You know me better than that!  I'm trying to explain to you!  I have one of my men watching him to make sure he doesn't go anywhere.  But what I do next is partly up to you. That's why I'm here. Doug Kesterson isn't about to slip through our fingers. And he's NOT going to get away with what he did. But we have to look at the bigger picture here." 

"Will, please," Sarah pleaded with her husband.  "Sit down next to me and let Billy explain.  Please.  For our son..." 

Brian watched, too caught up in the situation to move.   He never in a million years would have thought Jared's attempt to clear his own name would result in Kesterson admitting to his involvement in Dale's death, although he recalled Justin's suspicions that it had not been an accident back then.  He continued to wonder how Justin was doing; this latest revelation must have been shocking to him as well.  He resolved to go seek him out as soon as the sheriff was done here. After all this, he needed to see him, to hold him, to know that he was okay.  But he knew for his aunt and uncle's sake, he needed to stay where he was for now, too.

He watched as his uncle finally ceded to his aunt's wishes and roughly pulled out the wooden chair next to hers to sit down.   He grimly faced Billy, who was sitting directly across from him, his eyes boring into the other man's.  "I'm waiting to hear your explanation," he told him, his lips pursed tightly together in barely controlled anger. 

Billy let out a tense breath before nodding.  "Okay.  Clearly from what Doug told Jared, there are several others involved here.  Others who are working with much higher stakes."  He paused for a moment before he continued.  "Since your son was heavily involved with racing at the track, I imagine that both of you are aware of how much betting can go on behind the scenes. And how some are willing to go to unspeakable lengths to come out ahead.  We're not talking about chump change here; with a facility like Red Mill, it could translate into a million-dollar business." 

"We may be simple folk, Billy. But yes, we weren't stupid.  Our boy was quite aware of how sulky racing could be a dirty game. He always stayed out of that sort of thing, though."  Will was proud of that, too; he knew with their son's talents and skills, he could have made a lot of money through less-than-honorable means. But he never got involved with any of that.

Billy nodded.  "I'm sure he did," he reassured him.  "Your boy was a little bit of a rebel rouser growing up, Will. But he was a good boy. You taught him right from wrong, and I never heard of him doing anything illegal, or falling under the influence of that sort of shady behavior.   But in my opinion, that might have made him vulnerable to those who were. And the Kesterson boy was apparently one of their scapegoats when it came to your son's death - and Justin's injuries recently." 

Sarah's eyes watered with tears of shock and sorrow.  "I...All this time, I hoped it had been an accident. A horrible, horrible accident."  She turned to look at her husband.  "Will...Our boy was only trying to help us, and doing what he loved. Why? Why would someone want to hurt him?  Oh, dear God."   The tears fell freely down her cheeks now, as Will's arm slid comfortingly around her shoulders.

"Money and greed, Sarah.  And people who are heartless."  He swallowed hard as he summoned up the courage to ask Billy, "How was our son...How exactly was he killed?  I have to know." 

Billy shook his head.  "He didn't come right out and say how it was done."  His jaw set, he vowed, "But I'm going to find out, trust me."  Now that he knew the incident was no accident, he was determined more than ever to find out what had happened.   In his small town, normally the biggest crime was cattle theft or vandalism. This was the only murder he could recall ever happening here; and he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all. 

"And just how are you going to do that?" Brian spoke up then.  To think that this callous bastard had not only done something that had led to his cousin's death, but almost caused Justin to be seriously hurt in the meantime as well, made him furious.  He could feel his blood boiling as he kept thinking, _it didn't have to happen...it didn't have to happen...it didn't have to happen..._   He thought the sheriff looked oddly uncomfortable as he stared over at the sweaty man, watching as he twisted his cap almost subconsciously in his hand.  "Sheriff?" he pressed as his aunt and uncle looked over at him expectantly.

"I want to bring the Kesterson boy in for more questioning..."

"Damn straight," Brian muttered as Billy held his hand up for silence. 

"I'm more interested in finding out who's behind both Dale's death and Justin's injuries.  As I said, that boy was just being used as a means to an end.  Only penalizing HIM - and prosecuting him for both crimes - won't get us who we want."

A sense of dread settled in Brian's stomach as he realized what he was proposing.  "You're wanting to make a deal with him if he rats the others out, aren't you?" 

Billy nodded.  "If he cooperates fully, yes.  I see that as the only way we're going to get the whole story behind both Dale's death and Justin's fall."

"Are you out of your mind, Billy?" Will roared.  "You want to strike a deal with this boy? The one who is responsible for my son's death?"  He began to rise from his chair, only to have both Brian and Sarah pull him back down. 

"William, listen to him!" Sarah demanded.  "Listen to what he is saying!  He'll still be prosecuted for what he did, right?" she asked Billy as her husband seethed beside her.

Billy nodded.  "Yes, of course.  I'm not planning on letting him just walk.  My aim is to work with the county prosecutor's office to get him a reduced sentence in exchange for him fully disclosing what he knows, and leading to the arrest and full prosecution of those who put him up to it. Believe me, he WILL spend time in jail for what he did - and not just a slap on the wrist, either."   He reached inside his breast uniform pocket to pull out a wrinkled, folded handkerchief to wipe his brow as he asked them, "Isn't it more important that we find out who orchestrated your son's death and Justin's injury and shut the operation down, rather than risk having this happen again?" 

Will's chest heaved up and down in agitation as he forced himself to consider what Billy was saying.  As hard as he tried to deny it, he couldn't help conceding that Billy was right.  What good would it to bring in the Kesterson boy and let the ones who were behind it go unscathed?  "Why are you even bothering to tell us this, Billy? Sounds like you're already made up your mind anyway."

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I don't think it's in our best interests to work with the Doc's boy to bring the others to justice," he told them quietly.  "But this is your son we're talking about, Will.  I want your agreement first."

"We know you're an honorable man, Billy," Sarah reassured him.  "It's just...this is all such a shock.  She wiped her eyes and sniffed as Brian reached over to snag a paper napkin from the middle of the table and hand it to her.  She nodded her gratitude toward her nephew and blew her nose before taking a deep breath.  "We know the Lord says that vengeance is his.  We...we have to try and forgive.  But this is asking a lot from us. All along we thought, we hoped, that it was just an accident. We _wanted_ to believe that.  Now..."  Her words trailed off as she took a deep breath and turned to her husband.  "Will...For our son's sake, for _our_ sake, we have to do what Billy says.  Nothing we do will bring our son back. But we CAN make sure that what happened to him - and what almost happened to Justin - won't ever happen to anyone ever again.  And if it means making a deal with the Doc's son to do it...then that's what we will have to do."  

Will stared into his wife's face.  Normally as the man of the household, all decisions would fall to him.  He would be the one to make the determination as to what to do, whether it was the need to buy a replacement vehicle, how much money to spend on feed for the coming season, whether they should buy new furniture to replace their tattered ones; even how much money to put into the church collection plate each week. Sarah always humbly acquiesced to his wishes. But he _also_ knew - and so did Sarah - that she wielded much more influence upon his decisions than most outsiders knew.  Once more - just like she frequently did - when he couldn't see the correct path to take, she always somehow was the beacon amidst the turmoil and the darkness, steering him in the right direction.  Just like now. 

He finally nodded at her grimly before turning his attention back to their guest.  "All right, then, Billy. If it's our agreement you want...then you have it. Do what you need to do. Just...just do right by our son." 

Billy nodded back at them.  "I will. I promise both of you."  He let out a tense breath as he scooted back from his seat and rose to his feet. Reaching for his hat, he tugged it back on and straightened out his uniform.  "Well, I'd best be going, then," he told them.  "I have a lot to do.  I'm going to go talk with the county prosecutor first to get their agreement, and fill them in on what's happened. Then I think I'll go have a talk with the Doc. If anyone can convince his boy to do the right thing and come clean about everything, it's him."  He shook his head sadly.  "I'm not going to enjoy THAT conversation - any more than I enjoyed this one.  l'm sorry I had to tell you all this; but I'm hopeful if the Kesterson boy will cooperate, you will finally know what happened to your son.  You're doing the right thing." 

Will and Sarah both rose from their seats and stood facing him.  "I hope so, Billy," Will murmured.  "I hope so." 

Just before the sheriff reached to open the back screen door, he heard the Walker's nephew calling over to him. 

"Sheriff?"

Billy turned around to face him.  "Yes?"

Brian could feel his face warming, but he didn't care. His thoughts were focused at the moment on only one thing.  "Uh...Is Justin back home? He's okay?"  He knew what his aunt and uncle had told him, but he had to be sure.

Billy bestowed a half-smile on the Walker's nephew. He had seen enough to know this boy was very protective of the Taylor son.  "Yeah. He rode back with his father a little while ago.  He seemed to be doing fine," he reassured him as Brian nodded in relief.

"Well, I best be going," he told them as he opened the door.  "I'll be in touch," he promised as he closed the door behind him and walked out onto the creaky, wooden, back porch.  Several seconds later, the sound of his car starting up could be heard as he turned around in front of the barn and headed back down the way he had come.

* * *

The Walkers and Brian sat at the table in stunned silence as they tried to fully absorb what Billy had just told them.  Finally, Sarah quietly rose to her feet and walked over to the counter to pick up the coffee carafe, returning to the table. She was about to tilt the carafe to refill her husband's half-full mug when he reached to grip her wrist to prevent it.  "Sarah, stop...What are you doing?" 

"Your coffee's cold," she responded.  "I know how you hate cold coffee." 

"Sarah..."

Brian frowned. What was she doing?  They had just found out that Dale's accident was not an 'accident,' and she was worried about his uncle's coffee? 

Sarah jerked her hand away in irritation, crying out in pain as her action wound up spilling some of the hot liquid onto the exposed skin on the top of her hand.

"Sarah!" Will was on his feet in seconds, pushing back from his chair so violently that it tipped backward and toppled onto the floor as Brian soon joined him.  Grasping his wife by the waist, Will led his wife over to the sink and used his free hand to turn the water to a tepid setting before he held her injured hand under the water.  "Missy, what were you thinking?" he murmured softly. 

Brian watched worriedly from beside them, feeling helpless about what to do.  "Aunt Sarah, are you okay?" he asked.  "What can I do?"

"It's all right," she assured him, even though the burn still stung somewhat.  "It's not that bad." 

"You can go upstairs to the bathroom, and look in the medicine cabinet for some gauze bandage and some first aid cream," Will told him as Brian rushed off to comply, returning in record time with the requested materials.  His uncle was still holding his aunt's hand under the running water as he told him, "Put it down next to the sink there."

Brian bit his lip as he nodded, wanting to do more.

His aunt glanced over at his worried face, and bestowed a half-smile of reassurance on him.  "It's okay, Brian," she told him.  "It's just a minor burn, that's all.  I've had far worse before."

Brian nodded back at her, unconvinced, until Will finally turned off the running water and - holding his wife's hand just like he had so long ago when they had first been wed - he closely scrutinized the burn.  It didn't look nearly as angry as it had before, he noticed to his relief, as he asked Brian to fetch the pair of scissors they kept in the miscellaneous drawer in the corner.  "Cut about 18 inches off the roll," he told him as Brian nodded and did as he was told. 

Handing the gauze to his uncle, he watched as the man gently wrapped the soft material loosely around his aunt's hand until it was fully covered, pressing down in an uninjured area to hold it in place with a metal clip.  "There," he murmured as he reached up to stroke his wife's cheek.  "Does it feel better now?" he asked, his face contorted with anxiety and worry.

Sarah nodded with a smile.  "Yes." 

He eyed her carefully for a moment before he replied, "Well, you're going to go sit down in the living room and take some pain medicine just to be on the safe side." 

"But..."

"Don't argue with me, Missy," was the stern rebuke.  "You'll do as I say." 

Sarah sighed with a nod. She suddenly felt exhausted. 

Brian told her, "I'll go upstairs and get the medicine, Aunt Sarah." 

But Sarah shook her head.  "No," she told him softly.  "Will can go get it.  I think there's someone else who might need you more right now."  She peered up at her husband meaningfully, silently communicating her wishes. 

Will sighed in resignation; he knew when his wife got this way, there was no persuading her.  "If you will go sit down in the living room like I asked...And take your pain medicine...."  He turned to his nephew and nodded.  "Go if you want." 

Brian whispered to his aunt, "Are you sure?"  Inside his heart was fluttering wildly in anticipation, like a baby bird's.  He wanted so badly to see Justin right now. 

Sarah smiled with a nod.  "Yes, I'm sure.  Tell him we're glad his brother was cleared of any wrongdoing." 

"What about Dale?" he asked.

"Tell him - and his parents - all of it, if they don't already know," Sarah told him as Will nodded in agreement. He felt like they were all comrades in arms at the moment.   "Now get going before it gets to be any later, and the Taylors decide it's too late for you to come calling on your young man." 

Barely registering the phrase 'your young man' in his mind, Brian didn't need to be told twice as he practically flew out the back door, the metal banging against the frame as he quickly disappeared. They could hear Solomon barking after him as he headed down the dirt road toward the Taylor farmhouse.

Despite her discomfort - and the unsettling news they had just received - Sarah had to smile slightly over Brian's reaction.  "Just let the Taylors try to keep him away," she murmured as she watched Brian running up the dirt road.   Her smile faded as she added, "At least Justin is safe."

"I hope so," Will replied tersely.   He slipped his arm back around his wife's waist as he told her, "Now you need to go relax and get some rest." 

She nodded gratefully then, leaning on his shoulder as the two of them headed down the hallway toward the living room, both of them wondering what the future was about to hold for all of them.

* * *

_Ten Minutes Later - Taylor Farmhouse_

"Justin, for the last time: no, you cannot go over to the Walker farm," Craig huffed in exasperation.  "This is not a good time to do that, for a number of reasons."

"But..."

Craig looked over at his wife helplessly; sometimes there was no reasoning with his determined, younger boy.  "Jennifer, please help me out with your obstinate son here!"

Jennifer peered over at him in amusement. "So he's suddenly MY son now, huh?" she replied dryly from her place at the kitchen table.  "Craig..."

"NO, Jennifer," was the quiet reproach as Justin peered over at her hopefully, only to have his hopes quickly dashed.  "Justin's just now recovered from his fall the other day, and now we have this whole mess with Jared and the Kesterson boy to contend with.  He needs to stay here on our property for the time being."

"Dad, I'm NOT a child!" Justin protested, his arms folded over his chest in defiance.  "It's just next door!"

"You act like it's within touching distance, Justin!  It's a quarter-mile away!"  He sighed as he brushed his hand through his hair and sought to calm himself; it had been a hell of a day so far.  "Son, I don't consider you a child.  But you know that Billy was heading over there to tell the Walkers about their son's death.  Do you really think it's a good time to make a social call?" 

"A social call? Do you think that's what this is?  I care about them, Dad! _All_ of them!  I need to be over there!" 

Craig took a deep breath.  "Justin, they need some time to deal with what's happened. You can go visit them - and Brian - tomorrow.  I'm not going to change my mind about this." 

Justin turned to his mother, realizing by the determined look on his father's face that he wasn't going to back down.  "Mom..."

To his dismay, his mother shook her head, although she appeared sympathetic.  "Honey, your father's right.  It's just until tomorrow.  We need to give them some privacy.  And YOU need to get a little more rest."  She also silently worried about his safety after what they had learned today; until the perpetrators behind Doug's actions were brought to justice, she still feared for him. 

"Rest!  _Rest_!  I HATE that word!  The last thing I want right now is _rest_!"  Blue eyes flashing, he promptly spun around on his heels and stomped toward the back door, flinging it open and quickly disappearing outside.

"Justin!" his mother called after him as both she and Craig hurried toward the back door, just in time to see their son trudging toward the stables.  At least he appeared to be ceding to their wishes, but it was obvious he was NOT happy as evidenced by his drooping shoulders, and the way his head hung down as he shuffled, hands in pockets, toward the place where he normally went to take his mind off things that were bothering him. 

"Craig, maybe we should have..."

"No, Jen," Craig replied quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder from behind.  "There's too much at stake right now, and the Walkers need some time to come to terms with their son's death.  He can wait until tomorrow."  He watched his son dejectedly heading toward Vic and Emmett, who were grooming a couple of the horses outside the stables.  "Besides...I want him somewhere that I can keep an eye on him. After today - after what we heard - it's obvious there are some really evil people behind the Walker boy's death.  And no matter how much Justin might deny it, he knows it, too." 

Jennifer nodded, a lump of anxiety lodged in her throat.  "I was thinking the same thing," she confessed as she turned around to face him.  "Craig, I'm still really worried about him.  I'm scared to death, actually.  I mean, how safe is he here...really?" 

Craig blew out a tense breath.  "He's as safe as he can be in a small town, Jen.  It would be hard for anyone to show up here with that dirt road and not be heard.  And you know that one of the horses would act up if anyone came calling late at night; plus, the way that Vic sleeps so lightly he would be bound to hear any approaching vehicle as well."  He paused before reminding her, "Plus, we have the 20-gauge."

Jennifer shuddered.  "You know how I feel about guns, Craig."  The shotgun used to belong to her father, and was kept mainly due to sentimental reasons. Craig, however, saw it more as a needs of protection - normally for their livestock when coyotes came calling. But it also served as a deterrent for any would-be robbers who might show up at their fairly secluded home and attempt to take advantage of it.  He never thought he would need it for THIS purpose, however. 

"I know," he told her, his face grim.  "Let's hope we never need to use it."  Silently, though, he vowed if his family was ever put into jeopardy, he wouldn't hesitate to do just that.

* * *

Brian came to a stop just outside the Taylor's white fence; his chest was heaving from the overexertion of having jogged all the way from his aunt and uncle's house to the other farm. Solomon, who had been trotting along dutifully at his heels for most of the way, had become intrigued by a wild turkey family that had been walking around in the nearby field, and had promptly rushed off toward them, leaving Brian by himself.

Standing there, he gazed over at the house, his pulse quickening as he thought about Justin being inside.  He couldn't wait to see him again.  Taking a deep breath to calm his rapid breathing, he turned to head toward the back door, only to stop as he heard someone calling his name.

Peering down at the stables, he noticed Vic waving his arm, motioning for his attention with Emmett standing next to him.  He tentatively thought about ignoring him as he glanced over at the Taylor's farmhouse before, with a heavy sigh, he turned and headed toward the stables. 

"Vic, I only have a few minutes..." Brian quickly told him.

"He's not in there, Brian," Vic responded perceptively. 

"What do you mean?"  Brian asked.

"Your favorite sulky driver," Emmett told him with a knowing grin.  "He's out at the track, practicing." 

"What?!"  Brian cried out in astonishment, his brows narrowing in consternation as he promptly dropped any pretense as to why he was there.  "He shouldn't be doing that!" 

"So when did _that_ ever stop him?" Emmett replied dryly as Vic nodded.  If nothing else, Justin was a very stubborn and determined person.  It didn't escape either of them the irony of him riding a horse named Headstrong.  The two men watched as Brian promptly turned around and made a dash toward the fenced-off practice track in search of his target. 

"You think it's a good idea for him to be out practicing right now?" Emmett asked his uncle. 

"From a physical standpoint, maybe not," Vic told him as he peered out into the far distant curve of the track to see Headstrong kicking up dust as Justin moved aggressively around the track.  "But I think it might be just what Justin needs right now to take his mind off other things.  He needs the diversion. That...and something else. Or should I say _someone_ else."

Emmett nodded, understanding completely as they watched the Walker's nephew hurrying out toward the track to intersect Justin.

"Better get back to work," Vic murmured, knowing instinctively that the two boys would be more than capable of comforting and taking care of each other.  Emmett studied the scene unfolding before them for a few seconds more before he nodded again and turned his back to resume his chore.

* * *

Brian made a beeline for Justin until he reached the perimeter of the track, stopping to rest his elbows on top of the white fencing as he watched the other boy racing across the trapractice oval with Headstrong, the horse's mane flying around furiously as his feet trotted at a seemingly impossible pace.  It was obvious that Justin was doing much more than just making up for lost practice time.  This practice seemed frenzied, angry, and driven almost by a sort of mania.  For a few seconds, Brian thought back to the day not so long ago when he had encountered Justin in much the same place while he had been picking berries. Had it only been a few days ago? Right now, it seemed more like a lifetime to him.

As Justin rounded the curve toward him, however, and his eyes locked onto his, he knew the moment Justin had noticed who was waiting for him, because he immediately pulled back on the reins and called out a loud ‘whoa!' as he commanded Headstrong to slow down and stop.

Brian didn't wait until he was at a complete standstill before he promptly vaulted over the fence and ran toward the sulky, his long legs quickly carrying him to where he needed to be.  The two boys didn't say a word; instead, Justin yanked off his helmet, jumped down from the sulky, and quickly took off at a run toward Brian, the two meeting halfway as he melted into Brian's outstretched arms and their bodies melded together for a fierce embrace.

Brian closed his eyes and just savored the connection as he cradled the younger boy in his arms, placing his chin on Justin's right shoulder as he continued to hold him tight.  Finally, he loosened his embrace enough to pull back and stare into his eyes, reaching up to cup his face in his hands.  "I was so worried...are you okay?" 

Justin nodded, his eyes closing briefly in relief as Brian leaned in to place a gentle kiss against his eyelids and then his lips; a kiss that quickly escalated into something deeper, something reassuring, something intense and all-consuming as Justin opened his mouth and Brian's tongue slid inside, their lips devouring each other's as they kissed passionately, Justin's arms pulling Brian closer until at last they had to break for air.

His breath mingling with Brian's, the two pressed their foreheads together as Justin asked, "You heard about Dale?" 

Brian pulled back again to stare into his eyes, his hands sliding down to rest on either side of Justin's neck as he nodded.  "Yeah...my aunt and uncle are pretty devastated about it."

Justin nodded.  "I wanted to come and tell them how sorry I am...and come and see _you_. But my parents wouldn't let me."  He stared into the intense, hazel eyes and grimaced.  "They're still trying to treat me like a baby because of my fall."  His eyes flashed with irritation.  "I'm NOT some little kid, Brian!"

Brian replied softly, "No, you're not. But you might still be in danger, Justin." 

Justin couldn't deny that; not after what he and his father had heard earlier.  It had still frustrated him terribly, though, when he had been denied his chance to walk over to the Walker farm.  "I needed to see you so badly, Brian...I ...Dale..."  The words caught in his throat as the ramifications of what they had heard from Doug earlier about Brian's cousin began to fully sink in; the thought of what had happened to him both sickened and horrified him.

"Shhh," Brian murmured as he pulled him into an embrace again and wrapped his arms around his waist to hold him close, his hands linking at the small of his back protectively.  "It's all right. Everything's going to be okay," he kept whispering.  "I will never let anything happen to you again," he vowed. And he meant it.  He would fucking die before letting anything - or anyone - else hurt him again.   

Justin let out a shuddery breath as he pulled back to look up into Brian's determined eyes.  He nodded as the two of them met once more for another kiss, Justin's arms sliding up to grab Brian's head from behind to deepen the kiss.

They finally broke apart again as Brian told Justin, "Time for you to take a break, Hot Shot.  C'mon," he urged him gently as Justin nodded after a few seconds, knowing that he had been riding Headstrong very hard, and the horse could use a break, too.  Disengaging the horse from the sulky frame, Justin grabbed Headstrong's reins in one hand as Brian grabbed his other hand, the two boys slowly leading Headstrong back to the rear of the stables.   



	27. Who's the Real Man?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reeling from Doug Kesterson's revelations regarding Dale's death - and concerned for his own safety - Justin seeks comfort from Brian. In the meantime, the Walkers receive a surprise visit from someone.

_Fifteen Minutes Later..._

"Craig," Jennifer called to her husband softly as she stood in front of the screen door and peered out into the backyard. She wiped her hands off with the half apron she was wearing, having just finished washing some pots and pans from their lunch earlier.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Come over here," she said as her husband walked over to stand beside her, just in time to see their son walking back toward the house - with the Kinney boy walking beside him with his arm draped around his shoulder.  She couldn't help smiling at the sight.  "It seems we didn't have to worry about Justin going over to the Walker farm after all; apparently Brian had the same idea and took matters into his own hands."

 

Craig grunted beside her; he had long given up on keeping the two boys apart, but the Kinney boy seemed to have a knack for always showing up when Justin needed him. And he had to admit - Justin did seem to rely on Brian when he was most upset, and seemed to draw comfort from him.  He suspected that need was mutual, however, as he watched the two boys approaching.  "Apparently so," he replied dryly as they came closer to the sidewalk.   He opened the creaky screen door as Justin unlatched the back gate, seeing his son hesitate for a moment as he locked eyes with him, before he boldly grasped Brian's hand and proceeded up the stone walk. 

 

"Brian," Craig greeted the other boy quietly as he and his son walked up to him and his wife. 

 

"Mr. Taylor.  Mrs. Taylor," Brian replied politely as he and Justin entered the house; Craig couldn't help noticing how Brian placed a hand almost protectively on Justin's upper back as he guided him into the kitchen. 

 

The two boys sat down next to each other as Jennifer asked, "Brian, I have some iced tea made.  Would you like some?"

 

"That sounds good," Brian decided, still a little sweaty after his trot over to their farm to find Justin. 

 

She nodded as Craig walked over and sat down opposite the two boys.  "Justin?  Craig?" 

 

"Yeah, thanks, Mom," Justin replied gratefully as Craig nodded as indication he would like some, also.  Filling up three tall glasses with ice before pouring the tea from a matching glass pitcher, Jennifer placed them on an oval serving tray, along with a small bowl with some cut lemons and some spoons, before she walked over and placed a glass down in front of each of them, finally choosing to sit down at the end of the table between Craig and her son.

 

"Brian, first of all, let me say how sorry we are about your cousin," Jennifer began, her face full of sympathy.  "Your aunt and uncle must be devastated after hearing the news."

 

Brian's face was grim as he nodded.  "Yes, they are," he verified quietly.  "I mean, it's not like they didn't suspect something already..."

 

"But it's different finding out for sure that it wasn't an accident...isn't it?" Jennifer pressed softly.

 

Brian swallowed as he nodded his head.  "Yeah.  Aunt Sarah's pretty upset about it. And Uncle Will...well, he's just plain angry as hell." 

 

Craig shook his head in disbelief.  "I always knew the Kesterson boy was bad news and easily influenced. But I never in my wildest dreams thought he would ever agree to participate in something like this."

 

Brian nodded as he and Justin exchanged a look between them.  "I know.  The sheriff still doesn't know exactly what happened. But he's promised to find out.  He's trying to work out a deal with the prosecutor to reduce Doug's sentence in exchange for him revealing everything he knows about what happened - and who's behind it." 

 

"A reduced sentence?" Craig growled as Justin's eyes widened slightly in alarm.  "What sort of reduced sentence?  That boy tried to kill my _son!"_

Brian was quick to explain, "He promised my aunt and uncle that he would still do serious jail time, even if he decides to cooperate.  Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten their okay to try and strike a deal with him."

 

"They agreed to it, then?" Justin asked, a little surprised.

 

Brian nodded.  "Yes.  They decided it was better to findwho was behind what happened, instead of going after Doug.   They want to know exactly what happened to Dale that day." 

 

"All of us do," Craig told him tersely.  "Until they're caught, there's always a possibility that Justin may be in danger if they decide they want to finish the job that Kesterson botched."

 

Jennifer sucked in a breath. "Craig..."

 

"It's, true, Jen," her husband persisted as he peered over at her.  He looked over at his son then, clearly seeing the anxiety in his face that echoed Jennifer's.  "Justin, until these other people are identified and caught...I think it's best that you don't race any more at Red Mill - or anywhere else, for that matter.  And I think it's best you stick to the farm, and not go outside our property."

 

Justin's mouth hung open in dismay.  "Dad!" 

 

Craig held up his hand as his son began to protest; he figured he wouldn't like what he had to say.  "Justin, be reasonable!  Surely you can see the reason why you need to stick close to home!  It's just temporary until they find the people who are responsible."

 

His son's eyes flashed.  "How do we even know they're still around?" he countered.  "They may have caught wind that the police are on to them and fled the area. There's a lot more race tracks all over the country besides the one in Lexington." 

 

"We don't know that, Justin," Brian spoke up, sensing his lover's agitation.  "But your father's right." 

 

Justin's mouth hung open; he never thought he would ever hear Brian agreeing with his father, although they were getting along better of late.  "Brian..."

 

"No," Brian gently rebuffed him.  "Your safety is the most important thing.  You need to stay where others can keep an eye on you."  He smiled in amusement as Justin huffed in response.  "I know you don't like that idea," he quickly added as Justin rolled his eyes and his lips pressed together in a pout.  Right then, Brian wanted nothing more than to wipe that pout off with a sound kiss. But he figured Justin's parents might not care for that sort of public display, so he opted instead to try and reason with him.  "But it's only temporary, and it really is the best solution for now."  He turned to Justin's parents to ask, "He can at least come with me back to my aunt and uncle's farm, can't he? And down to the swimming hole?" 

 

"Well..." Jennifer faltered.  She looked at Craig, who nodded curtly.  "I guess that would be okay, as long as you're with him."  Somehow they knew, even with Brian's rather lean build, that he would defend Justin above all else, and they knew their son enjoyed spending time over at the Walker farm.  "But just don't impose on them, Justin.  They may want some privacy right now under the circumstances." 

 

Justin nodded, partially assuaged by his parents actually agreeing to let him spend time with Brian. Suddenly his enforced captivity did not seem quite so bad. 

 

"Do you know when Billy will find out whether or not Doug is going to cooperate?" Craig asked Brian.  "Did he say anything about that?"

 

Brian shook his head.  "All he said was that he was going to talk to both the county prosecutor and the Doc to see if his son would be willing to agree to some kind of deal for less time. But he didn't know how quickly that would happen." 

 

Craig nodded.  "We'll be waiting to see what happens."  He paused.  "Please tell your aunt and uncle to let us know if we can be of any help. And to keep us informed." 

 

Brian nodded back at him.  "I will," he promised.

 

Craig glanced at Jennifer, sensing their conversation was ending for now.  He had said what he needed to say. "Well...I think I'd best get back out to the barn. I have some blades that need sharpening."  He looked over at his son as he scooted back from his seat and rose to stand; he knew his boy well enough to recognize the tiredness in his face, despite his recovering fairly quickly.  "Justin, perhaps you had best go up and rest for a while.  You look tired."

 

Justin looked at him in frustration; the last thing he wanted to do right now with Brian there was go up to his room.  He desperately wanted to be with him.  "I feel fine, Dad," he tried to reassure him.  "Really." 

 

Craig opened his mouth to speak again, only to close it as he looked down at Jennifer, who shook her head slightly as if to say it would be okay.  He cleared his throat.  "One hour," he decided firmly, grudgingly giving in.  "One hour; only if you agree to go up and get some rest afterward." 

 

Justin sighed wearily, but knew it would be a losing battle to argue with him, his mom...and Brian.  "Okay, okay," he grumbled finally. 

 

Both of his parents nodded in satisfaction as Craig told them, "Now that _that's_ settled, I'm going back out to the barn."  Peering thoughtfully over at his son and the other boy for a few moments, he turned and headed out the screen door; his feet echoing on the wooden back porch as he returned to his work.

 

Jennifer gazed over at her son as she, too, rose from her place at the table.  "More tea?" she asked them.  Both boys shook their heads as she began to gather up the glasses and silverware, placing them on the oval serving tray and taking them back over to the sink.  She smiled, her back to them, as she told them, "It's a beautiful day, Justin. Why don't you and Brian enjoy some of this great weather out on the porch?" 

 

Justin and Brian grinned at each other as they, too, scooted back from their seats.  "Good idea, Mom," Justin agreed as they began to shuffle toward the screen door.

 

"Don't forget; one hour," she reminded him as she turned around to stare over at her son and the other boy. 

 

Justin groaned but nodded.  "Okay," he told her as he and Brian finally headed back outside. 

 

Smiling in amusement, Jennifer turned back around to start filling the sink with water. 

 

* * *

 

"You really need to get this swing oiled," Brian teased his lover as they swung back and forth slightly in the back porch swing, each motion producing a definite squeak each time.  Unlike a previous moment, this time both boys had automatically sat close to each other on the right side of the swing, their hands instinctively reaching to clasp each other's as soon as they sat down as if they were both seeking some sort of warmth and comfort there. 

 

Justin laid his head against Brian's shoulder as he spoke.  "Brian?"

 

"Hmm?" 

 

"As much as I hate what happened to Dale, I'm glad my brother wasn't involved in what happened to him - or to me." 

 

Brian gazed down at their intertwined fingers as he replied, "Well, your brother can be a real ass sometimes..."

 

"... _Most_ of the time," Justin corrected him wryly. 

 

He could feel Brian's head bobbing minutely up and down in agreement against his own head as he replied, "Yeah, most of the time.  But I'm glad for your sake that he wasn't involved, too."

 

Justin nodded back at him with a soft sigh.  "How did everything get so fucked up?" he lamented.  He raised his head to peer into Brian's eyes.  "If you weren't here...I don't know what I would do," he told him.  He noticed Brian smile back at him softly before his eyes drifted down to his lips, his intention crystal clear and making Justin flush with anticipation.  _God, he loved Brian's kisses..._

"Brian...," he whispered, his eyes large and expressive and his voice inviting. That was all it took for Brian to grasp him firmly by the shoulder with his free hand and capture his lips with his, both boys automatically twisting their bodies for deeper contact as their other hands slid around each other's bodies.  Brian issued some sort of growl as his tongue slid inside Justin's mouth, and he broke contact with Justin's other hand to grip the back of his neck and push their mouths even tighter together.  He could feel his body starting to come alive from their kissing, feeling a hard-on quickly forming as his heart beat furiously.  He also knew at the moment that there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it, either; not like this, even though he could feel Justin's mirrored arousal through the denim of his jeans as they continued to kiss.

 

He heard his lover whimper slightly as he finally broke the kiss off, both of them panting hard by now as they stared into each other's eyes.  At that moment, it was as if rest of the world - all of its troubles, all the noise and everything around them - was totally nonexistent.  "Damn, Justin," he huskily murmured, as he leaned in to press their foreheads together, his hand still gripping the back of Justin's neck.  "I want you so fucking much right now."

 

Justin flushed, heat blooming from his neck up, as he heard Brian's sultry voice and felt his warm breath washing over his skin.  His cock was becoming painfully hard in its restraints as he groaned in unrequited torment.  "God, I want you, too," he responded as he lifted his head to peer into his lover's face, noticing how dark Brian's eyes had become, clearly broadcasting his desire and lust for him.  "Surely there's somewhere..." he whispered hopefully, glancing toward the open door of their barn to ensure that his father wasn't watching them. Despite his father's seemingly grudging acceptance of his and Brian's relationship, he still felt somewhat self-conscious whenever his father was around. 

 

Brian sighed.  "Our options are limited," he told him with regret. 

 

Justin tried to control his rapidly-beating heart to no avail as he insisted, "There has to be some place. Please..." 

 

"Oh, fuck, Justin!" Brian groaned in response to the longing in his voice.  "You're not making this any easier." 

 

Justin could almost see the thought wheels turning in his lover's head as he slowly stroked his fingers over Brian's back, needing more; he desperately needed to feel Brian's body inside him, to feel him taking control of him.  He needed that reassurance, that security even more now. 

 

"We've got less than an hour...and we sure as hell can't go to the stables or the barn," Brian began as Justin's hopes began to rise.  He seemed to hesitate before asking, "Are you sure you're..."

 

"Don't you dare say it, Brian Kinney," Justin immediately warned him as Brian curled his lips under and made a zipping motion across them.  "Not you, too!"

 

Brian grinned as he whispered huskily, "Well, I don't think your parents were worrying about _that_ when they told you to take it easy," causing Justin to blush.  He sighed, still wracking his brain for a solution.  Just looking at Justin was making him so fucking hard, especially after the kiss they had just shared.

 

Still inches away from Brian's face, Justin softly told him, "Brian...Come on; I need you inside me."

 

Brian gripped his lover's shoulders as he replied incredulously, "Shit! Do you think I'm made of stone?"  Justin smiled back at him - shamelessly, Brian thought - before he finally came up with a possible solution. 

 

"Brian," Justin pleaded with him urgently, his eyes lighting up when he noticed a change in Brian's face. 

 

Brian stood up, his decision made, as he pulled Justin up to stand with him.  "Let's go," he urged him as he began to tug him toward the steps.  "Time's a wasting!" he added, echoing one of his uncle's favorite sayings.

 

"Where are we going?" Justin asked as they quickly descended the steps and walked toward the gate as Brian swung it open. 

 

Brian merely smiled mysteriously as he continued to lead Justin away from the house.  "You'll see," was all he would say, making Justin insanely curious.  But Justin didn't care - as long as he got what he wanted: Brian - _all_ of him.

 

* * *

_Ten Minutes Later - Walker Farm_

 

"Oh, my God," Justin deadpanned in realization as they approached Brian's intended destination.  "You are not suggesting we fuck in there!"

 

Brian smirked.  "That's exactly what I'm suggesting," he told him.  "Corny, I know," he added, curling his lips under.  "But at least it won't be used until fall...for its _intended_ purpose, anyway."

 

Justin rolled his eyes at the intentional joke as they walked up to the Walker's silo where they normally kept corn stored for the winter as feed for their livestock. It was located next to an old tobacco barn that had long ago been abandoned when the Walkers had decided to start growing other crops. 

 

 

 

 

He stood there, his mouth hanging open in disbelief and his hands on his hips in indignation, as he faced the other boy.  "You are not serious.  There could be rats in there!"

 

Brian grinned as he eliminated the short distance between them, his arms gripping Justin's biceps.  "Don't worry; I'll protect you," he whispered sultrily in his ear before giving the lower lobe a playful nip; he felt Justin's arms slide around his back in acceptance as they embraced, and a soft whimper escape his lips.  "I want you so badly," Brian told him as they finally broke apart slightly.  He lifted Justin's face with his hand under his chin, hypnotized by the bright, blue eyes staring back at him as he felt the evidence of their mutual desire growing between them.  "We don't have much time," he reminded him regretfully.  He would do what Justin wanted - even if it killed him - but he was hoping Justin understood this would be the only option that they had.

 

Justin nodded before gifting him with a shy smile.  "I want you, too," he told him, his decision made.  "So much."

 

Brian licked his lips and nodded back at him, taking his hand to gently pull him toward the weathered, wooden structure.  He had done a little exploring inside the structure about a month before - his curiosity piqued, having never seen a silo before - so he was somewhat familiar with the interior.  It wasn't the most ideal spot for them...but at the moment, he was so painfully hard just by being around Justin, touching and kissing him, that he didn't care.  Glancing around to satisfy himself that no one was observing them, he pushed the door open and motioned for Justin to proceed ahead of him as the younger boy deftly bent down far enough to easily enter through the relatively small opening.  He giggled a few seconds later when he heard Brian say "Ow!" as he smacked his head coming inside and scowled over at him, rubbing the spot on his skull where he had been hit.

 

Unlike most silos, this one was more of an octagonal shape than round, and smelled musty; a shallow layer of corn still lay on the floor from the previous year's harvest. Brian realized it would at least provide them with some sort of cushion against the hard, dirt surface.  A chute up above, along with small windows, provided them with more than enough light to see as they stood facing each other. 

 

"We don't have much time," Brian repeated as Justin nodded in understanding.  The younger boy began to unbutton his shirt, only to have Brian say, "No...let me."  Justin blushed as his hands fell to his sides in acquiescence, his eyes following Brian's every move as his companion began to unbutton his shirt with long-fingered hands.  Once fully open, Brian gently shrugged the shirt off Justin's shoulders and let it drop to the ground before curling his fingers around the waistband of Justin's jeans.  He noticed Justin bite his lip as he unbuttoned the lone button and slowly slid the zipper downward, noticing the prominent bulge through his white briefs.  He swallowed, his desire flaring up, as Justin toed off his sneakers to allow him to pull both the jeans and his briefs down in one motion.  Justin's eyes never left his as he stepped out of his clothes, now only clad in his socks.

 

Brian's eyes couldn't help slowly drifting downward to admire his lover's body - the smooth, fair skin, the slender legs covered with downy hair, the patch of light brown resting above a very impressive cock, until he lifted his eyes to gaze once more into Justin's face.  It wasn't as if Brian hadn't seen it all before, but he was astounded that every time he did, Justin still took his breath away.  "You are so damn beautiful," he murmured; Justin blushed a bright red as Brian's left hand came up to slowly trail a path down his sternum before it slid around his back and pulled them closer together so he could kiss him deeply.  He groaned softly when their cocks rubbed together and he imagined what it would feel like soon when his clothing wasn't a barrier between them.  He reached down to grasp Justin's cock and squeeze it, feeling how hot it felt under his touch, before Justin couldn't take it anymore.

 

"Brian," he gasped, breaking off the kiss and using his own hand to pull Brian's away from his body.  "You...I..." he was having a hard time forming coherent words.  "No..."

 

Brian arched an eyebrow.  "No?" 

 

Justin flushed as he explained, "No, I mean not like that.  I want you; _all_ of you," he explained as Brian nodded.

 

Hurriedly discarding his own clothes now, Brian soon stood proudly before him in all his glory, gratified to see the same look of desire and arousal in Justin's eyes as well.  Taking a moment to kiss him softly again, he gently lowered his lover to the ground, the corn acting like a rural version of a bean bag chair, as he placed Justin on his back.

 

As soon as Justin's body hit the bed of kernels, however, he unexpectedly giggled. 

 

Brian looked at him in amusement.  "What?" he asked.

 

"It tickles," Justin explained as Brian chuckled in realization. "I think I'm going to have kernels up my butt."

 

Brian's eyes raked over the amazing sight in front of him as he told him, "Don't worry; soon you'll have something _else_ up your butt," making Justin's face warm in realization.  He grinned down at him, tongue in cheek, before adding, "Although...you're so hot, I might find popcorn up your ass, too." 

 

Justin giggled again as he imagined THAT particular image.  "Now that WAS corny," he told him, the radiant smile on his face slowly transforming into something more intense as he noticed the look in Brian's eyes; that look that always told him how much he affected him, and how much he wanted him.  "You're the hot one," Justin whispered to him.  He smiled a little nervously then, finding himself a little embarrassed for some reason.

 

Kneeling down to rest on his knees, Brian's eyes darkened as he watched Justin almost shyly open his legs a little further in invitation as he draped his body over his.  Bracing himself on his elbows, he began to kiss his lover anew with even more passion, his hands stroking and caressing every inch of Justin he could reach.  He heard Justin sigh in pleasure as his own hands began a journey of their own, caressing Brian's lightly-muscled upper arms, his chest, and his back before roaming downward to cup his ass. 

 

Now it was Brian's turn to react as he gasped when one of Justin's fingers softly trailed a line between his butt cheeks in a teasing manner.  He pulled back enough to look in the expressive eyes of his lover, marveling at how emboldened he had become; where had the inexperienced boy he had first met gone?  He smiled softly as his lips began a hot, wet path from the cord of Justin's neck, down to his left shoulder and over to his nipple; Justin arched up and moaned softly as Brian's teeth nipped at the aroused nub before licking it with a wash of his tongue.  He soon repeated the same action as he attended to the other nipple before his lips traveled lower, hearing Justin suck in his breath in expectation just before he gave the leaking tip of his shaft a tentative swipe of his tongue, tasting the sweetness and saltiness there. 

 

He felt Justin's hand grasping the hair at the top of his head as he heard his lover softly call out his name, his voice thick with desire.  Brian sped up his actions then, using some of the pre-cum to make his hand slide smoothly up and down Justin's shaft.

 

"Ohhh," was the appreciative response to his actions as Justin's hips rose in an attempt to find greater pleasure.  This was still so new to him; so erotic.  He couldn't get enough of this boy, and what he did to him.  "Brian," he moaned his name again as his hands tightened in Brian's hair.  He knew his self-control and stamina wasn't nearly as strong as Brian's.  "Fuck!  I'm...I'm..." 

 

Brian pulled his lips away from Justin's to briefly speak, his own voice hoarse with desire.  "Let it go, Justin," he commanded him huskily, his voice low and hoarse.  "Come for me."   He knew this was just going to be the beginning, but at least it would take the edge off his younger lover.  He placed his lips back on Justin's cock, driving it even deeper into his mouth as he sucked harder.  By now, Justin's whimpers and moans were getting louder and louder and more frequent as he panted heavily, the sounds echoing off the walls of the silo and amplifying his voice even more as he shamelessly bucked up into Brian's mouth.  As soon as Brian placed a finger at his puckered hole unexpectedly and pushed tentatively inside, however, that was all it took for Justin to explode, his cum spurting down Brian's throat as he screamed out Brian's name.

 

Savoring every drop as he swallowed, Brian licked his lover clean before finally raising his head to peer up into Justin's face, noticing his chest rapidly rising up and down in the midst of his post-climactic state.  His entire body was flushed a slightly darker color, his mouth slightly parted as he breathed in and out and tried furiously to control his heartbeat, his skin warm to the touch.  He was absolutely beautiful, and Brian thrilled to the idea that he was the reason for it.

 

His own cock still neglected and rock hard by now, Brian slowly slid his body upward.  Justin's body was still charged with super sensitivity after Brian's blow job; he gasped as he felt Brian's cock rub against his belly and then his chest before they shared another deep kiss.  Feeling emboldened, Justin reached down to squeeze Brian's cock with his fingers, feeling it heavy and hot to the touch. 

 

Now it was Brian's turn to gasp as he broke off their kiss.  "Justin..." he warned as he pulled back to stare into the deep blue eyes.  "You keep doing that, and it will be over way too soon..."  He reached down to gently but firmly pull his lover's hand away from his cock, receiving a pout in response.  He smiled then.  "Don't worry; you're going to be taking care of my problem right now," he told him.  Sitting up to rest on his knees, he pulled on Justin's arms to make him rise to a sitting position as the blond frowned. 

 

"What...?" 

 

Brian grinned at him. "I think in order to preserve that amazing ass of yours - and not get kernels in places where they best not go - I am going to introduce you to a different way of pleasure." 

 

Justin eyes widened a little anxiously; just what did Brian have in mind?  "What sort of way?" he croaked out, his heart thumping wildly.

 

His fingers caressing Justin's arms to reassure him - although he already knew Justin trusted him - he explained, "Get on your hands and knees. And get ready to go on a hell of a ride," he added with a smile. 

 

Justin's face warmed at the thought as he did as Brian asked, feeling a little ridiculous in his position, but understanding why he was doing it, and what was about to happen. His heart continued to pound in anticipation as Brian crawled over a few feet to retrieve the small tube of lube and a condom from one of his pants pockets. 

 

Arching his eyebrows at the older man, Brian shrugged.  "I didn't know," he explained with a shrug.  "But I was definitely hoping," he admitted with a grin.  Tearing off the top of the package, he donned the condom before positioning himself behind his lover, squirting some of the gel onto his hands and rolling it around to warm it up before pressing one finger inside the first ring of muscle, holding onto Justin's hip with his other hand to steady himself.  He waited for Justin to adjust, feeling him relax a little, before he pressed another finger inside to join the other one, hearing Justin moan at the sensation, then cry out as he hit his sensitive sweet spot. 

 

Instantly, Justin's cock - which was becoming hard again just at the thought of Brian being inside him - grew even harder as a wave of pleasure rushed through him.  "Arrgggh!" was the nonsensical reply.  "Brian...please..." 

 

"Okay, Okay," Brian soothed him as he stroked his hip, wanting nothing more than to fuck Justin senseless at the moment. It was all he could do to control his passion.

 

Justin felt a light touch on one of his butt cheeks as he twisted his head around to ask, "What are you doing?"  His body was chilled slightly now due to the openings near the top of the silo and his lack of undress, so he was more than ready for Brian to warm him up. 

 

He heard Brian chuckle softly.  "Just removing some snap, crackle, and pop from your ass," he teased him as Justin huffed in impatience. 

 

"I don't give a damn about cereal!" Justin growled in agony.  "Brian!"

 

Brian laughed as he smacked him lightly on his left ass cheek.  "Yes, I think you are more than recovered," he decided as Justin huffed in frustration.  "Okay, okay," he told him with a smile, more than willing to prove that theory correct.  He squirted a little more gel into his hand and slathered it up and down his cock before he lined himself up at the inviting entrance and pushed partly inside.  It was so tight, so hot, so indescribably amazing as he wrapped his other arm around Justin's waist to brace himself.  "You feel so fucking good," he told him as he waited for Justin to indicate he was ready for more.  "Okay?" he whispered, feeling the slender body trembling beneath him. 

 

"Yes..." Justin panted, his cock springing more and more to attention.  "Oh..."  He gasped as Brian pulled out a little, only to push back in even deeper.  He started to breathe heavily, partly due to the slight pain, as Brian stilled once more, waiting for another signal to continue. 

 

"More..." Justin whispered greedily after a few moments as Brian tightened his hold on him. 

 

"Brace yourself with your elbows and put your head down," Brian told him, his voice thick with arousal at the sight in front of him.   "Oh...fuck, Justin!" he growled as the other boy did as he was told and he stared at the two perfect globes in front of him.  Holding onto Justin's waist now, Brian knew that he couldn't hold back any longer.  Sliding back out slightly, he thrust deeply inside this time, balls deep, hitting Justin's prostrate and causing the other boy to cry out and shudder with pleasure.  

 

"That's it," Brian instructed him as he began to piston smoothly in and out of the slender body now, grunting slightly at the movement.  His face contorted with rising desire as it ramped up even higher.  He was at the perfect angle now to derive the maximum amount of pleasure for both of them as he continued to plunge in and out of his lover.

 

"Oh..." Justin had never felt Brian so deeply inside his body before; his skin was on fire where Brian's hands were gripping him, and he felt the other boy's lips on his lower back as Brian bestowed a light kiss there.  "Brian," he moaned, reaching down to start stroking his cock.  His body began to instinctively move in rhythm with Brian's to deepen the contact even further, as Brian started to accelerate faster, sensing his own release was pending. 

 

In fact, Brian's heart was beating a mile a minute, sweat pouring off him and hair in his eyes, but he couldn't stop, he didn't _dare_ stop.  This had to be the most amazing sex he had ever had; he marveled at how Justin seemed to know exactly what to do to heighten his pleasure in the simplest of ways, and how their bodies molded together so perfectly.  He knew from the fullness in his balls, and the adrenalin pumping through his veins, that he was about to climax soon.  He began to grunt even louder as their bodies slapped together on each down stroke, and his pace quickened even more. 

 

Justin also began to increase the speed of his own strokes, inadvertently keeping time with Brian's thrusts, as he squeezed his eyes shut, knowing he wasn't going to last much longer.  He could feel Brian panting furiously behind him as he issued occasional grunts of exertion while they continued to rock together.  Finally, Justin felt the eruption coming as he clenched down hard on Brian's cock and cried out his lover's name once more; a few more strokes and Brian, too, exploded with pleasure, his mouth contorting into an open ‘O' shape as he groaned loudly and then filled the condom to capacity. 

 

Both boys fell like a spineless mess down onto the corn bed, Brian lying heavily on top of Justin as they just lay there for a while, too spent to do anything else.  He slowly stroked Justin's upper arms as he lay his chin in the crook of the other boy's neck, his lungs struggling to get some much-needed air as he tried to regain his normal breathing. 

 

Finally, Justin was the first to speak, although his voice sounded a little muffled.  "Brian?"

 

"Hmm?" was the lazy response; Brian felt totally sated at the moment and so...content.  He lifted his head as he waited for Justin to reply.

 

"My face is smushed into the corn," he reported, his chin pressed against the bed of kernels.  "If you don't get off me soon, I'm going to have a checkerboard pattern forever ingrained on one side of my face."

 

Brian laughed as he slid out of Justin, held onto the condom, and flipped over onto his back beside him.  He heard Justin breathing a sigh of relief as he tied off the condom and threw it a few feet away, where it landed near an old, wooden shovel that had been left inside the building from the last harvest.   His head made a soft sort of crunching sound as he turned it to peer over at his flushed lover.  The two of them shared a smile before Brian spoke again.  "That...that was...incredible. Absolutely fucking incredible," he murmured in awe as Justin grinned back at him unashamedly this time.  "You're a natural." He rolled his lips under.  "Now I know what they mean around here when they say _Git Along, Little Doggie._ " He tried to smack Justin on the ass for emphasis, but unfortunately the corn shielded that particular part of his anatomy fairly well, so he smacked the other boy's thigh instead. 

 

Justin giggled as he grabbed a few of the corn kernels and playfully threw them at Brian's chest, causing them to scatter in every direction as they hit the muscled surface. 

 

"Hey! You enjoyed doing it doggie style as much as _I_ did!  Admit it!"

 

Justin laughed out loud then as he turned on his side and braced himself with one elbow to peer over at him in amusement.  "It's not Little _Doggie._ It's Little DOGIE." 

 

Brian frowned as his left hand began to play with Justin's damp hair as he twisted a few strands between his fingers.  "Huh?" 

 

Justin grinned.  "A lot of people _think_ the song refers to dogs. But it's actually referring to _dogies_ with a long ‘o'."

 

The two men resembled bookends then as Brian, also, turned on his side to face his lover.  "What the fuck is a dogie?" he asked, his brow furrowing.  His face lit up then as he exclaimed, "I know! It's a cross between a hot dog and a hoagie, right?" 

 

Justin laughed even louder in delight as Brian shrugged his shoulders and playfully grinned back at him. 

 

_Damn, Justin was so blindingly beautiful when he smiled like he was doing right now,_ Brian couldn't help thinking as he stared into his face.  "What?" he asked with an innocent roll of his tongue, thoroughly enjoying this totally irrelevant discussion.

 

"No, you idiot!" Justin told him with a huff.  "A dogie is a motherless calf." 

 

"Ohh...Then why don't they just call them an orphan?"

 

Justin snorted.  "I don't know!"  He shook his head with a smile before it faded somewhat.

 

Brian immediately recognized Justin's change in demeanor.  "What?" he pressed softly, never wanting Justin to look unhappy about anything. 

 

"I'm sure our hour is pretty much up," Justin told him regretfully.  "And I wouldn't put it past my father to come looking for me if I don't get home soon."

 

Brian sighed and then nodded.  "Yeah, I imagine you're right.  The last thing I want to do is get on his bad side. I'm just barely on his good side as it is." 

 

Justin sighed, too, as he leaned over just enough to kiss Brian briefly on the lips.  "I'd better get dressed," he told him as he moved to rise, groaning as the full force of what Brian had just done began to emerge.  "I'm not sure I like this ‘doggie' sex," Justin decided as he placed a hand at the small of his back and arched backward to try and stretch.  "My whole body is sore...and I won't even mention how my ass feels at the moment."

 

Brian rose to join him as he ogled the display in front of him.  "And what a very fine ass it is, Mr. Taylor," he told the other boy as his eyes roamed up and down his lover's body; he noticed that with just a little more encouragement, both he and Justin would be ready to go once again. But he also knew sadly that it wasn't going to happen, at least not today. 

 

"Brian," Justin murmured, his face red as he noticed him leering openly at him. He reached down to pick up his clothes and began to get dressed as Brian reluctantly did the same.

 

Brian gazed over at Justin, offering a soft smile, before the two instinctively came together to embrace. They held each other for several seconds, their arms wrapped tightly around each other's bodies, until they pulled back and kissed.  

 

"I'll walk you back home," Brian told him.

 

Justin shook his head, "That's not necessary," he replied.  "It's just down the road."

 

But Brian would not be dissuaded.  "Don't argue with me.  I'm not letting you walk home alone. Period." 

 

Justin rolled his eyes but nodded in agreement, knowing he wouldn't be able to make Brian change his mind.  Secretly, though, he didn't want to.  He was more than happy to spend as much time with Brian as he could. And the fact that Brian wanted to protect him from any possible further harm just demonstrated to him how much he cared.  "Well, then, you'll have to carry my books, too," he told him with a grin. 

 

Brian shoved him playfully before telling him, "Stand still."

 

"Huh?" Justin frowned as the older boy reached over and plucked some kernels of corn from his blond hair. 

 

"Need to remove the evidence," Brian told him with a grin.  "Who knows? This place may come in handy again."  

 

Just then Justin sneezed.  "I hope not," he told him.  "It's really dusty in here, and with my allergies that's not a good mix."

 

Brian's mouth hung open in realization.  "Shit, Justin! I forgot all about that.  I'm..."

 

"No," Justin told him as he reached his right hand up to rest against Brian's cheek.  "It's not that bad.  And...I don't regret a thing."

 

Brian smiled with a relieved nod, pecking him on the lips before he took the other boy's hand and headed toward the door.  A few minutes later - after he had peeked his head out to make sure no one was around - the couple began their trek back to Windswept Farm.

 

* * *

_Thirty Minutes Earlier...Walker Farm_

"I hope Brian isn't making a pest of himself over at the Taylor house," Will commented as he took a sip from his coffee mug while he sat at the kitchen table.  "He's been gone an awfully long time." 

 

Sarah huffed at her husband.  "You keep drinking that, Will Walker, and you will be awake most of the night," Sarah cautioned him as she walked over from her place at the oven and placed her uninjured hand on his shoulder.  She knew it was one of his coping mechanisms whenever he was agitated, and he certainly had enough reason to be at the moment.

 

Will sighed as he rubbed his face wearily with his hand.  It wasn't that he was tired especially in the physical sense. But it had been a very long day emotionally, made even more draining by Billy's visit earlier, and now it was all he could think about.  "It doesn't really make anything easier, you know," he quietly spoke up after a few seconds.  "Our son is still dead. There's no way to bring him back."

 

Sarah closed her eyes for just a moment, the grief muted but still ever present as she sat down beside him.  Reaching over to grasp his sleeve, she studied her husband's familiar calloused, wrinkled hands.  "No," she agreed.  "But I have to know what happened, William.  And I thought you wanted that, too," she reminded him.

 

Will cradled his head in his hands as Sarah silently rubbed his back.  He finally lifted his head to stare over at her, his lips pressed tightly together.  "I do," he told her.  "And I want those bastards prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."  He shook his head angrily.  "If it were up to me, I'd string all of them up and hang them from the nearest tree." 

 

"Will...The Lord said that vengeance is his...It's not up to us to..."

 

"I know that, Missy," he told her curtly.  "I'm just saying that would be MY type of ‘justice' for them."  He inhaled a deep breath and let it out as he placed his other hand on top of hers.  "I know Billy's right. I know that the best choice is for the Doc's boy to cooperate and help apprehend the people behind our son's death.  But giving that boy any bit of mercy really leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

 

Sarah eyed her husband carefully, detecting the furrowed lines of worry around his eyes, and the firm set of his jaw.  "I know.  But it's the only way. I think you know that.  And you know the Doc.  If anyone can persuade his son to cooperate and do the right thing, it's him.  You know he'll do his best to try and convince his son that this is the best choice for him.  He no more condones or accepts what he did than WE do."

 

Her husband nodded.  "Yeah.  I only wish it would change the outcome."

 

She pressed her lips together thoughtfully.  "Well, remember it's just not our son at stake here.  There's Justin, too."  She paused.  "He's such a sweet boy. I just couldn't bear it if anything else were to happen to him, too.  So the next time you question whether we're doing the right thing...think of him," she whispered.  "And Brian.  You know how smitten he is with him.  All you have to do is watch how he looks at him, and how he wants to take care of him.  If anything happened to that boy, Brian would be devastated, too."   

 

"I still find it very peculiar," Will stated as he stared straight ahead through the back kitchen window. "This...attraction they have."  He took another deep breath before deciding, "Well, it's not for me to say how someone should feel toward another person - or how they should love." 

 

"Brian's a good boy, Will." 

 

Will nodded before admitting, "Yeah...I never thought they would ever happen."

 

Just then, they heard the crunch of tires approaching.  Will frowned as he asked, "Who could THAT be?"

 

Sarah shook her head.  "Surely it wouldn't be Billy coming back."

 

"Stay there," Will commanded tersely as he pushed back from his seat and walked over to the kitchen window to observe a late-model sedan coming to a stop at the back of the house.  "I don't recognize the car," he told her.  "Don't move," he told her as he walked over to the back door to get a better look.  He stood there until a couple emerged from the car. "Oh, great," he groaned in realization as the car doors slammed.  "Just who we needed to stop by."

 

"Will, who is it?" Sarah asked fretfully. 

 

Her husband turned to peer over her as she heard the metal gate being opened.  "Probably the last people we wanted to see right now," he told her, just before a familiar booming voice called out to him through the screen door.  "How's it going, Willy my boy?"

 

Will stared open-mouthed at the other man.  "Jack.  This is a surprise."

 

"Well...are you going to let us in?" Jack Kinney asked gruffly after a few moments.  "Joan and I have been in that fucking car for hours now." He smirked.  "And I need to take a piss." 

 

"Jack, please," Joan entreated from behind him, her lips pressed together primly like a dried apple doll.  "Your language."

 

Jack rolled his eyes as Will reluctantly opened the door to let them in.  "Well, if it isn't the Missus," Jack drawled as he spied Sarah sitting at the kitchen table.  His eyes narrowed with curiosity as he noticed the makeshift bandage on her arm.  "What the hell happened?" he asked as Joan followed him through the back door.  He turned to Will to ask, "You been smacking her around, Will?  Sometimes, that's the only thing they understand," he told him with a wink as he clapped him on the back in comraderie.

 

Sarah huffed in repulsion as Will quickly moved out of his grasp and corrected him, totally offended that he would even suggest such a thing.  "Don't be ridiculous, Jack!" he growled.  "She burned herself accidentally, that's all." 

 

Joan walked over to her sister.  "What happened to you, Sarah?" Joan probed as she stood looming over her.  It was obvious she wasn't convinced that was true, either. 

 

Sarah could have sworn she could actually smell faint traces of something alcoholic on her sister's breath, but she temporarily pushed that aside.  "William already told you," she told her sister stiffly.  "I spilled some coffee on my arm, and got a minor burn. William took care of it.  It'll be fine."  She paused, her upbringing pressing her to be hospitable to her sister and brother-in-law, despite their brusqueness and insinuations.  "I have some coffee made," she told them quietly.  "Would you like some?"

 

"Sounds good," Jack told her.  He smiled.  "But first I have to visit your indoor outhouse."  He smirked again as he walked down the hall toward the steps to the second floor.

 

Sarah sighed softly; even after all these years, she could barely tolerate the man that her older sister had somehow decided to marry so long ago. Was it possible that she had seen a completely different side to this brash, unlikeable man than the one she always saw whenever she was around him?  "I'll get the coffee," she told her sister.  "Why don't you go make yourself comfortable in the living room?"

 

Will held up his hand toward the living room as he told his wife, "I'll take the tray in, Sarah."  He forced himself to bite his tongue in deference to his wife, but it was all he could do to be civil to Joan.  "We'll be right in."  He gritted his teeth as he added, "Make yourself at home, Joan."  Not that she and Jack wouldn't do that anyway, if previous experience was any indication. During their rare visits, they had practically taken over their home, from eating almost all the food in their pantry and refrigerator, to using their bed upstairs, causing Will and Sarah to sleep on an airbed down in the living room while Dale had still been alive.  Even afterward, they found that they couldn't use their son's room; it was all simply too painful and their emotions too raw.

 

Joan nodded back at them primly as she left the two in the kitchen and headed down the hallway toward the front of the house in the same direction as Jack.

 

"What do you think they're doing here?" Will whispered to his wife as soon as Joan was out of earshot; he was unable to hide his displeasure, now that they were alone.  "This is horrible timing." 

 

Sarah shook her head.  "I don't know.  She didn't tell me they were coming."  She glanced toward the hallway to make sure her sister wasn't lurking nearby.  "We'll just have to make the best of it."

 

Will sighed in resignation before nodding, reaching to place the now-filled mugs of coffee on a metal, oval serving tray. "Well, if it's up to me, they won't be staying very long."  Placing his hand on his wife's shoulder protectively, the two moved to join Joan in the living room.

 

* * *

 

Joan glanced up from her place perched on one of their flowered, stuffed chairs as her sister and brother-in-law approached; she put down the magazine she had been leafing through as Will set the serving tray down in front of her on the wooden coffee table.

 

"I see you found a place for our family photos," she told her sister, having noticed several, slightly faded photos of the two of them from when they were younger.  There were also pictures of Sarah and Will in their younger days, along with a few of Dale, all encased in a heavy, thick pane of glass that framed the top of the old-fashioned coffee table.  Underneath the photos Sarah had placed a long, rectangular-shaped doily that she had created several years ago, depicting a rural farm scene with a farmhouse, barn, and silo amongst rolling hills.  Her sister always _had_ been more creative then she, Joan silently fumed, even though she would have never been interested in such mundane tasks.  She took a sip from one of the mugs as Jack's footsteps echoed down the stairs before he appeared in the doorway. 

 

Taking a seat near her in the other chair, he reached for the other mug and took a gulp.  He sighed melodramatically.  "That's much better," he told them.  He looked around the room, filled with crocheted items, china knickknacks, inexpensive painting reproductions, and photographs displayed on the fireplace mantel, along with a wood-carved mantel clock, an antique that Will's grandfather had made by hand and was a cherished memento.  Nothing had really changed since the last time they had visited; well, _almost_ nothing, anyway. He turned to Will to finally focus on the reason for their visit; he figured there was no reason to beat around the bush.  "So, where's our boy, Will?  Out scraping up some more trouble to get into?  I told you that you would have to watch him closely." 

 

Will stared over at his brother-in-law with barely concealed disdain.  "If you must know, Jack, your son is over at the next door neighbor's house." 

 

"Next door neighbor?" He snorted.  "You mean that farmhouse way down at the beginning of the road?"

 

Will nodded.  "That's the one."

 

Jack harrumphed.  "You call that a next door neighbor?  I can reach out and TOUCH my next door neighbor's house; that's how close WE are."

 

Will rubbed the bridge of his nose; it had been a hell of a day, and this unexpected visit was the icing on the cake.  "I ask again, Jack. What are you and Joan doing here?"

 

"What do you _think_ , Will?" Joan spoke up as she put her coffee mug down.  "We're here to see our son. Why else would we be here?" 

 

The Walkers exchanged a glance as Sarah chose to speak up this time.  "You haven't exactly been too communicative with your son up until now," she pointed out.  "No letters, no phone calls - except for that one about a month ago.  So why the interest now?" she asked, her voice clearly broadcasting her disapproval.  She knew that Brian had tried to hide his disappointment regarding their lack of contact or concern, but every time she brought the subject of his parents up and tried to persuade him to call them, he declined, telling her that if they didn't care enough to phone him, then he certainly wasn't going to do it.  He would always act very cavalier about it, but she could still tell somehow that it hurt him to think his parents didn't even try to check up on him.  Silently Sarah had to agree; it was as if Brian didn't even exist, and they had dumped him here and had chosen to forget about him. 

 

"Do we have to have a reason to come and visit our son, Sarah?" Joan asked curtly.  "Do we need your permission?" 

 

"No," she responded, a little flustered.  "Of course not." 

 

"Don't go getting all sassy with my wife, Joan," Will warned the woman sharply, not liking the tone of her voice.  "I think it's a fair question.  You ship your boy off here to avoid embarrassment among your country club set, and then you basically forget about him. He's not even supposed to come off probation until later in the fall. To you, he's practically been non-existent since the day he arrived here. So we want to know what you're doing here."

 

"My attorney got the judge to drop the rest of his probation requirement," was the surprising response from Jack. "So we've come to take him back."

 

Sarah cast an anxious look over at her husband. Brian was happy here; she was sure of it. He had even asked to stay here. What sort of life would he be returning to?  And truthfully, she didn't want him to go. She had come to love her nephew dearly.  She strongly suspected, too, that Brian was in love with a particular boy next door. What would he think about leaving, then?  She knew it would break his spirit - and possibly plunge him back into the dark place from which he had previously emerged. "Why do you want him to come home early?" she couldn't help pressing.  "I thought you considered him an embarrassment more than anything."

 

"Why are you questioning our decision, Sarah?" Joan asked her sister defensively.  "You never questioned me like this before.  He's OUR son. We don't have to answer to you about our parenting decisions." 

 

"I'm glad you remembered he was related to you," Will retorted.  "And I'm glad that Brian's sentence was reduced. But that still doesn't explain why you're here to get him all of a sudden."

 

"It's none of your business," Jack growled defensively, suddenly feeling like he was under a microscope.  "He's been here long enough.  He doesn't belong here, and it's time for him to go home now.  You should be glad we're taking him off your hands." 

 

"So out of the goodness of your heart, you drove all the way down here from Pittsburgh just to come and fetch your boy?  Did you miss him that much, Kinney?" Will growled.  "You could have fooled me." 

 

"I don't have to justify my actions to some country hick like _you_!" Jack yelled then, growing highly annoyed.  Who did this simpleton think he is?  "Now call over to where our son is, and tell him to get his ass back over here and get packing!" 

 

Sarah looked over at her husband in a panic, her eyes watering. "Will..." she grasped his wrist, begging him with her eyes to do something.  But it turns out she needn't have worried. 

 

Will bristled. "I don't know why you're in such a snit to get your ‘good-for-nothing' son back all of a sudden. But last time I looked, Brian was of legal age. He can make up his own mind."  He thought he saw a worried look pass between Joan and Jack as he wondered just what they were up to.  He didn't buy their ‘loving concern' for their son one bit. 

 

This time when Joan spoke up she sounded decidedly more conciliatory; to Will, especially, her next words rang decidedly hollow.  "He's our only son," Joan said soothingly, sporting a helpless look as she smiled slightly at them.  "And while he's had his share of mischief, we...still love him. And we've missed him, haven't we, Jack?" she asked, peering over meaningfully at her husband. 

 

Jack cleared his throat.  "Uh, yeah," he replied.  "After all, he's my Sonny Boy. The house isn't the same without him.  We thought we could handle not having him with us, but we need him back."

 

" _Need_ him back?" Will pressed. That was an odd way of putting it.

 

"No," Joan instantly corrected Jack, trying to backpedal. "He meant that we _want_ him back.  It's just not the same there without Brian." She stood up then as she turned to her sister, a look of pleading on her face.  "Please, Sarah. Call over to that neighbor's house and ask Brian to come back here so we can see him."

 

"I still don't know..." Sarah answered in indecision. Something just didn't seem right.  Her sister and Jack had never been hesitant about indicating to them how disappointed they had been with Brian, and how he had been nothing but a troublemaker since he had reached puberty.  They had been only too happy to have them take him in, and had wasted no time in shipping him out on the next available bus to avoid embarrassment. So why the urgency to get him back now?

 

She hesitated before telling her sister, "Joan, he's happy here. Really happy.  We wouldn't mind in the least if he stuck around a while longer.  Maybe you could just visit with him, and then let him stay here until the summer is over."

 

Jack shook his head adamantly.  "No, he has to go back with us today."

 

"That's Brian's decision," Will reminded him flatly in irritation as he rose to stand next to his wife.  "Not yours...and not ours. But if he _does_ want to stay, we...wouldn't mind," he told them, a little surprised himself that he felt that way. But the truth was, Brian had changed a great deal since he had first come here. And he was beginning to realize how much he missed having a boy like him around.  It had been so quiet since their son had died, and so empty. But Brian somehow had changed that, and helped to fill that enormous void both he and Sarah had carried in their hearts for so long.  Now the thought of losing _him,_ too, made him feel like they were about to go through that heartache all over again. 

 

"You don't understand!" Jack snapped at him as Joan reached to grasp his arm in an attempt to calm him down.  Or was she trying to keep him from saying something?  "He HAS to go back with us!"

 

"Why, Jack?  I keep asking that question, but you don't seem to want to answer it."  Will folded his arms defiantly. "I think there's more to this than you're telling us. So why don't you just tell us the truth?"

 

"This is getting us fucking _nowhere_!" Jack snapped, clearly irritated over the other man's audacity.  "Now either bring him back here, or I will go and get him myself!"  He shook his head in disbelief.  "Why you would want to keep him here is beyond me. I have tried to teach him discipline, but he never listens! All he's interested in is causing trouble.  Been that way since he was a little boy, and he'll never change.  So you should be grateful to us that we're taking him off your hands early." 

 

Will's eyes darkened with anger.  "He's changed, Kinney.  He's not like that anymore. He's matured, and he's been a big help to us here."

 

Jack guffawed.  "Bullshit!  He's _never_ going to change!  He's never worked for anything.  He either expects us to hand it to him on a silver platter, or if we can't, he goes out and steals it!  Well, the gravy train is over!  It's time for HIM to help US now!" 

 

Will frowned.  "What are you talking about? Help you _how_?"

 

Joan peered over at her husband in exasperation, tired of all the parrying.  "Just tell them, Jack."

 

Her husband stared over at her in disbelief.  "No! I thought we had decided that..."

 

"Oh, for God's sake, Jack!  Never mind!"  Joan turned to her sister, clearly frustrated as she explained, "Jack has run up some debt. Some large debt. And we need Brian's help."

 

Will and Sarah looked at each other in confusion before Sarah asked her sister, "How can he help with _that_?  You want him to get a job?"  Obviously a boy of Brian's age could only hope for a minimum-wage job, or a lower-paying one at best.  How would that really make a difference?

 

Joan replied haughtily,  "Working at some fast food restaurant, or at some convenience store isn't going to do it.  We need his help some other way."  She sighed heavily before she plunged ahead with the rest of her story.  "Do you remember me mentioning Jack's brother Dave to you?"

 

Sarah nodded.  "A little bit. He was a few years older than Jack, right?" 

 

Joan nodded as Jack averted his gaze, suddenly taking an inordinate interest in his coffee as he took a large sip from it.  "Well, turns out he died about two weeks ago from lung cancer." 

 

Sarah's eyes widened in sympathy.  "I'm sorry to hear that." She frowned as Jack snickered in response to her comment.  "Is something wrong?" she asked him.

 

"No reason to be sorry," he told her with contempt.  "He was a pain in the ass to me.  Never gave me any respect.  Thought I was a loser, just because he was such a big shot."

 

Joan explained, "His brother was president of Elson Brothers in New York City for over thirty years."

 

"The department store?" Sarah asked in surprise as Joan nodded.  Even out in the country, everyone was familiar with the big box department store chain that had stores all over the United States.

 

"Yeah. And he saved up a lot of stock over the years in the company, along with a big 401k.  By the time he retired, he had accumulated a lot of wealth," her sister told her.

 

"And he shared none of it with me," Jack interrupted, clearly angry.  "Fucking arrogant prick."

 

"Jack, please!" Joan reprimanded him as Sarah sucked in a breath over the acerbic comment.  Joan glared at him briefly before she explained, "When he died he was a very wealthy man, and he had no wife or children." 

 

Will spoke up then.  "So what does all this have to do with Brian?" 

 

"Well...for some reason, I guess because he never had any children, he took a liking to Brian when he was younger. They used to go on fishing trips together up at some lake in upper New York State every summer."

 

Jack made some sound like he was offended, but Joan ignored him.  "They...lost touch, though, when Dave got transferred to New York City, and we never really heard much from him after that.  Not for the past five years, anyway...not until his attorney called us a couple of days ago to tell us he had died from lung cancer." 

 

"That still must have been a shock," Sarah told her.  

 

"Oh, it was a shock, all right!" Jack spoke up then, his voice hard as steel.  "My dear loving brother left all of his fucking money to _Brian!_  My son, who never worked a day in his life, and now he's fucking rich! Isn't it a wonderful world?!"  He shook his head in frustration.  "Shit, I need a cigarette," he muttered.  He reached into his pocket to retrieve a pack of smokes, only to have Joan silently stop him with a scathing look.  Rolling his eyes, he nonetheless put them back in his pocket, running his hand in agitation through his cropped hair. 

 

The Walkers stared at each other in shock and disgust. A much clearer picture was now emerging as to the real reason why Jack and Joan had abruptly turned up out of the blue to see their nephew.  "So let me get this straight.  You don't really care at all about being here to check on your son, or his welfare," Will replied, directing his question to Jack.  "You're here because you're in debt, and you think Brian's going to bail you out?  I thought you made good money at the factory."  Sarah had filled him in each time her sister had called, and Joan had often mentioned how well Jack was doing as foreman of the factory where he was employed. He had been there ever since high school, and had developed a rapport with some of the most important members of their community, mainly through his union connections.  In fact, his and Joan's concern about their reputation in the community was a large part of why Brian had wound up here at their farm in the first place.

 

He thought he saw Jack squirm uncomfortably over his statement before his brother-in-law finally replied quietly, "Yeah, I did," his previous bravado suddenly gone.

 

"You _did?_ " Will immediately picked up on that.  "You mean you aren't there anymore? What happened?"

 

Jack fidgeted a little more.  "That doesn't matter," he mumbled, quickly growing uneasy.

 

"I think it does, or you wouldn't be here, would you?" Will wouldn't back down.  "Were you let go?"

 

Joan hastily interjected with a nervous smile, "I'm sure you can understand why Jack doesn't want to talk about that."

 

But Will wasn't in the mood to play games; not after the day he and Sarah had just experienced.  "Just what sort of ‘debt' do you have, Jack?  Mortgage payment?  Household expenses?  A car loan? Or something else?"  Throughout his and Sarah's life together - despite their modest assets and meager savings - Will had strove hard to never be in debt to anyone, so at least what he had was his.

 

"That's not important," Jack insisted, "and it's none of your business, either."

 

But Will was not to be deterred. "You had to have some money saved up."  In fact, he remembered his wife telling him that Joan had gloated about the high-powered lawyer they had secured to keep their son out of jail, and how it had barely made a dent in their savings at the time. So what had happened since then?  All of a sudden, another previous conversation that Sarah had told him about - one in which Joan had confided to her about Jack running up a lot of gambling debt- came to mind, and it was then that he understood everything with crystal-clear clarity.  "Oh, my God," he stated.  "You've finally done it, haven't you?  It's the gambling, isn't it, Jack? That's why you need your son's help so badly."  Apart from his vice of coffee drinking, Will had always staunchly veered away from any other possible vices, such as drinking, smoking - and gambling, so he had a very hard time understanding why someone would practically ruin their life, and resort to desperate means, just to engage in such an unproductive activity.  It made his opinion of his brother-in-law even less than before

 

Joan peered over at her sister with disdain.  "You told him?  How _could_ you?"

 

Sarah stared back at her with resolve.  "I never keep secrets from my husband."  _Unlike you_ , was the silent words left unspoken, but clearly they were understood nonetheless.   

 

"Oh, that's great!" Jack snarled as he glared over at Joan, immediately confirming that Will had been right.  "You couldn't keep your big mouth shut, could you?"  Turning back to Will, he lashed out at him in desperation.  "Look, I didn't come here to be grilled!  This is none of your fucking concern!  He is OUR son, not yours.  Yours is dead, remember? And Brian is NOT going to take his place!"

 

Will's eyes narrowed immediately and his jaw clenched as Sarah gasped at the open hostility in his voice.  "Get out." 

 

* * *

 

Unbeknownst to all of them, someone had quietly slipped inside the back screen door several minutes ago.  Having noticed the familiar car outside, Brian had frowned in surprised recognition as he had headed up the steps and went inside, looking around the empty kitchen before he heard heated voices clearly filtering in from the living room down the hall. Now as he stood there, frozen with both a mixture of sorrow for his uncle's death as well as anger over what his father was saying, he found that he couldn't move.

 

* * *

 

"What?"  Jack replied in astonishment. 

 

"I said GET OUT."

 

Jack bristled as his face flushed with anger.  "You can't speak to me that way!"

 

"Oh, yes, I can...this is my house.  And you are leaving...NOW."

 

"Fine...as soon as my son comes with me."

 

"Brian isn't going anywhere with you."

 

Jack laughed scornfully.  "You can't tell me what to do with my own son!  Why would you want him anyway?  He's an immature brat who will never amount to anything!"

 

Standing to the left of the hallway in the kitchen, Brian's heart ached as he heard the hateful words spewing out of his father's mouth.  The terrible things that his father was saying about him - and the belief that he wouldn't care - would have been immediately revealed as a lie if anyone could see him at the moment as he blinked back tears and dug his fingers into his palms in anger.

 

"That's where you're wrong," Will told him.  "He's changed.  And he's more of a man than _you'll_ ever be.  Now get out, before I throw you out!" 

 

Jack glared daggers at him as he slowly rose, deciding he could handle retrieving his son on his own.  "Fine," he gritted out as his eyes continued to bore into his.  "I'll just go get him myself." He turned to his wife, who had been sitting there silently, almost too frozen to speak.  He roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled her up to stand, making her wince.  "Let's go," he ordered her as he pulled her toward the doorway.  Turning to look at the Walkers, he told them sarcastically, "Thanks for your hospitality.  And don't ever expect us  - or Brian - to come back here again." 

 

"But..." Joan protested, torn between obeying her husband and leaving her sister, who - despite their differences - she still loved. 

 

"I said...Let's GO!" Jack roared as he roughly pulled her along with him.

 

He and a reluctant Joan quickly headed down the hallway as she bit back a scathing remark regarding how her husband had handled things so poorly, before they stopped abruptly when they reached the kitchen and spied their son. Jack's sour, hostile face quickly dissolved into a fake smile as he hurriedly let go of his wife's wrist.  "Sonny Boy!" he cried out as he rushed over to embrace Brian - only to watch as his son immediately shrunk away from him into the corner.

 

"Stay away from me!" Brian shouted, his watery eyes dark with anger and hurt. 

 

"Brian..." Joan pleaded.  "We've come all this way just to see you."

 

"Bullshit!" he snapped as he glared at his father. "I just heard what you said, you bastard.  And the reason why you're _really_ here.  I don't know why you think I would possibly help you after what you just said!  There's no way in HELL that's going to happen!  Go away!"

 

"Now listen here, Sonny Boy, you are still our son...you can't treat us this way," Jack growled.  "We've taken care of you for 19 years; it's time for you to show us a little respect."

 

Brian laughed at the absurdity of that comment.  "Respect?  RESPECT?  You haven't _earned_ any respect!" 

 

Joan tried to reason with her son as she reached out to grasp his sleeve.  "Brian, listen to me! We got the judge to suspend the rest of your probation period! Don't you see? You can come home now!  You don't have to stay here in this backwater town anymore!"

 

Brian pulled his arm away from her.  "I don't know how you got the judge to drop the rest of my probation, but if you're looking for gratitude, you've come to the wrong place!  I don't _want_ to go back! Especially with YOU!" 

 

"Brian, don't be ridiculous!  Will and Sarah, they don't really want you here!  You're just a replacement for their son, that's all. They'll grow tired of you, believe me."

 

"I'll take that chance," Brian told them, a small seed of doubt blooming inside him that perhaps his mother was right; maybe they WERE trying to turn him into a version of their dead son.  But staying here was unquestioningly preferable in any case to going back home with two people who belittled him and only wanted to use him for their own selfish needs.  "You heard Uncle Will. He told you to GET OUT."  He gave his father a shove as he walked past him, noticing for the first time his uncle standing in the hallway just outdside the kitchen, his aunt clutching his uncle's arm.

 

"You heard your son," Will told Jack, the quiet in his voice belying his fury.  "Either you leave now...or I call the sheriff to come out here.  And trust me, he WILL come out here." 

 

Jack glared daggers at his son for several seconds as Brian stood defiantly a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest.  Finally, Jack turned to his wife.  "Let's get out of here," he told her as he headed toward the door.

 

"But what about the money?" Joan cried.  "Without that money, we can't even pay our mortgage!  You've drunk and spent it all _away_!" 

 

"What do you want me to do, Joan?" Jack snarled.  "I said COME ON."  He looked over at his angry son one last time.  "We don't need you anymore.  You're no longer my son. Don't ever contact us again, or come anywhere near us.  You're dead to us now...just like Dale is to them."  Walking over to the screen door, he flung it open and slammed it behind him, the resulting loud, banging noise making everyone jump slightly.

 

Brian thought he saw just a glimmer of regret on his mother's face before she finally turned and followed her husband outside.   Several seconds later, the sound of the car doors slamming was followed by the motor starting up; ten seconds more, the sound of tires squealing could be heard as Jack turned the car around and proceeded back the way he had come, a cloud of dust rising up in its wake.  Within a few more seconds, only the sound of Brian's labored breathing and the quiet ticking of the kitchen clock over the sink could be heard. 

 


	28. The Many Definitions of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of his parents' departure, Brian seeks comfort from those who love him. The sheriff and prosecutor offer a deal to the doc's son in exchange for information; will it be accepted?

 

 

Sarah blinked back tears, her heart breaking as she peered over at her nephew.  There was hurt clearly etched on his face, but the fury directed earlier at Brian's parents had dissipated to be replaced with a vulnerable-looking young man who had suddenly had his world turned upside down.  Brian quietly stood there as if in shock, his arms folded tightly across his chest as if he were trying to protect himself from any more harm. 

 

Before she had a chance to try and comfort her nephew, Will walked over to the back door to peer outside; they both knew that Jack and Joan had already left, but her husband seemed intent upon making sure they weren't returning. Either that, or he was desperately trying to calm his own anger over what they had just said to Brian. 

 

Sure enough, she heard her husband mutter under his breath, then, speaking in a way she seldom heard.  "Damn, greedy idiots!" he growled.  He whirled around to stare over at his wife as he told her firmly, "If they so much as step on this property again, I WILL call Billy and have them removed!  Who do they think they _are_?" He fumed over what had just happened, still in disbelief that anyone would treat their own son with such blatant disregard.  He took a deep breath to try and calm himself.  "I know she's your sister and all, Sarah, but I will not stand for that type of behavior."

 

Sarah nodded her head as she glanced over at Brian, concerned by how uncharacteristically silent he was being. "No, I agree," she told him quietly.  "My sister had no right to say what she did.  And Jack; well, Jack was way out of bounds." 

 

Will huffed.  "That doesn't _begin_ to cover it," he disagreed.  He brushed one calloused hand through his hair as he signed in disgust, stealing a glance over at his nephew.  He shared a worried look with his wife before the two of them approached Brian together, noticing his head was averted downward as his fingers idly played with the back of one of the wooden kitchen chairs in front of him.

 

"Brian..." Sarah begin softly as she tentatively reached out her arm to grasp his, only to watch Brian snatch his out of reach and lift his stormy-looking eyes to peer into her concerned ones.  "Don't touch me!" he growled as he hugged himself even tighter.   "Leave me alone!"

 

Sarah's eyes stung with unshed tears as she looked helplessly over at her husband and silently begged him to do something.

 

"Son..." Will began.

 

Brian's eyes flashed.  "I am NOT your son.  That has been well-established, hasn't it?  They were right, weren't they?" he accused them.  "I'm just here as a replacement for your dead son!"

 

Sarah gasped in astonishment.  Did Brian not understand how much they loved him for who he was?  "Brian..." she repeated softly.  But her nephew turned his head to look away from her, making Sarah pause in uncertainty.

 

Now it was Will's turn to bristle slightly in irritation.  "No, you are NOT a replacement," he told him sternly.  "You never were and never _will_ be."  He sighed in frustration.  "Brian, look at me," he commanded quietly.  After a few seconds, Brian did as he was told, lifting his gaze to stare into his uncle's face as Will explained, "We know all too well that our son is gone and never coming back. And yes, you are like him in a lot of ways," he admitted. "But make no mistake about it, young man. We are fully aware of who you are and who our son was.  And we are NOT - nor will we ever be - _anything_ like your money-grubbing parents.  I thought you knew us better than that. We are honorable people, Brian, simple people.  We don't treat people like objects to be thrown away." _Not like YOUR parents_ , was the unspoken comment. But whether spoken aloud or not, there was no mistaking what Will was trying to say. "We have to work hard out here to survive. And we may not have all the creature comforts of city folk, but what we DO have is integrity and a sense of family; no amount of money can ever buy that, because it's priceless.  And now you are a part of OUR family, Brian.  We would feel that way whether you were a king or some hobo just off the train down by the general store.  I think you know me and Sarah well enough by now to know that we don't say things that aren't true or that we don't mean. We are honorable people, young man. So when we tell you that you are NOT a replacement for...for our son, but someone unique and worthy of being loved in his own right, then you need to believe it.  Do you hear me?" 

 

Sarah clutched her husband's sleeve, thankful that he was able to verbalize exactly how she was feeling as well, but a little surprised that Will was being so open about his feelings.  More and more, however - ever since Brian had come to live with them - she was seeing more of the man she had fallen in love with so long ago. And for that, she would forever be grateful to her nephew for bringing her husband back from the brink of despair he had escaped to ever since Dale had been killed.  She watched as her nephew blinked back tears of his own before nodding.  Impulsively, she reached toward him to pull him into a fierce hug, her arms sliding around his waist to hold him close. She felt Brian hesitating for a moment before he, too, wrapped his arms around her slender body and just held onto her as if she were his anchor in a maelstrom.

 

Finally, she pulled back to peer into his tear-stained face.  She smiled softly up at him as she placed her right hand on his cheek.  "Brian, you have a home here with us as long as you want.  We...we need you here. Not because you help your uncle out with the chores - although that's a big help - but because you have brought something back into our lives that we had lost.  And we _want_ you here.  Both of us."  Will mutely nodded in agreement beside her as she grasped the bottom hem of her half apron to tenderly wipe the moisture from her nephew's face.  She let out a deep breath before suggesting, "Why don't you go upstairs and rest for a while?  It's been a hard day for all of us." 

 

But Brian shook his head.  "No," he told her softly, as he finally spoke.  "I think I'd like to just take a walk and be alone for a while."

 

She nodded.  "Of course, if that's what you want," she told him. "But don't stay out too long. I'll have supper ready in a few hours."

 

Brian nodded back at her as he turned to go; he paused, however, to turn around to face both of them as he simply replied, "Thanks."  His aunt and uncle nodded in response as he headed toward the back door, quietly closing it behind him and leaving the kitchen bathed in silence once more.  For a moment, it was as if nothing unusual had transpired today. But for all of them, it had been one, long ordeal. 

 

Sarah sighed.  "That poor boy," she murmured.  "He deserves so much better."  She straightened her shoulders with resolve as she faced her husband.  "I hate that he had to go through that, Will. But I'm also selfish.  I'm _glad_ he's not going back with them.  He may not have been used to this kind of life, but I think it suits him.  And he has been a blessing to us in so many ways." 

 

Will gazed at her tenderly.  "You always were so sentimental, Missy," he chided her gruffly before unexpectedly pulling her into his arms to embrace her.  "But you're right," he admitted softly as she laid her head against his chest.  "He has been."  They hugged for several seconds before Will pulled back, a little embarrassed.  "I have to go tend to the livestock," he told her.  "I'll be back in before supper."

 

She nodded as he turned around and followed the same path that Brian had.  She let out a ragged breath and briefly closed her eyes in relief.  She was finally able to consider the implications of what her sister and Jack had told them. It appeared that Brian could be a fairly wealthy young man if what they were telling them was true. It certainly appeared to be.  And while Brian was a very sensible person, she wondered just how capable he would be of managing such a large sum.  In addition, she imagined he would have to contact his late uncle's attorney to obtain information on how it would be distributed.  He would definitely need help with the procedure, as well as insuring his parents didn't somehow get their hands on any of it.  An idea occurred to her as she bit her lip in thought.  Perhaps there was something she could do to help her nephew regarding his inheritance. 

 

* * *

 

His hands pushed deep into his jeans pockets, Brian kicked at a large stone on the dirt road leading toward the Taylors' farm. It wasn't that he had intended to walk there, but it seemed his feet decided that was where he needed to go.  He was still trying to comprehend what had happened earlier between him and his parents - his loving, generous parents, he thought sarcastically.  He snorted in disgust.  He couldn't quite say he was surprised by what had happened, but even HE never thought they could be so cruel.  He finally had a clear picture, though, of exactly where their priorities lay - and they definitely didn't lie with him, at least not if they couldn't get their hands on his uncle's money.  He let out a mournful sigh as he neared the pasture and stables near Windswept Farm, his eyes drawn to the majestic animal quietly grazing by himself inside the fence.  As usual, his cousin's horse was an object of fascination to him as he diverted from the dirt road to walk over closer to the fence.

 

"We're a lot alike, you and I," Brian murmured to True Blue as he approached him.  "Both of us are lost in a way."  The horse's ears perked up as Brian spoke quietly to him, lifting his huge head to stare over at him, his dark eyes blinking in curiosity.  His nostrils flared as if he were sniffing the air before he slowly began to amble over toward the boy, noticing his visitor didn't flinch or exhibit any fear of him. 

 

The horse whinnied softly as he neared, his head slowly swinging from side to side in wariness.  The only human he had ever bonded with had suddenly vanished one day, never to return, and he had never trusted anyone again.  But there was something about this young man that intrigued him.

 

"So you're coming over to say hello, huh?" Brian murmured as True Blue came closer, looming over him despite Brian's above-average height.  Most visitors to this formidable animal would normally shrink back automatically as the horse approached, having heard about his irascible nature from Vic and feeling a little intimidated by the beast's size. But Brian somehow sensed he had nothing to fear as he tentatively reached his hand out toward the horse's nose.  "You _are_ a big one," he admitted as he began to stroke the side of his neck.  The horse's eyes blinked slowly, almost as if he were staring straight at him, as Brian continued to lightly scratch the racehorse's neck.  He sighed.  "Not been my best day, Boy," he told him.  "I guess you know all about that sort of thing, though, don't you?  If you could only talk."  He smirked.  "Where is Mr. Ed when you need him?"

 

He stared up at the majestic animal, wishing that he could have been there when his cousin was at the top of his game, racing around the track triumphantly with his horse.  "I bet you wish you were back out on the track right now, huh?" he asked softly.  "This must be way too tame for someone like you."  He smiled. "I know the feeling.  Riding around on a tractor isn't quite the same thrill as drag racing."  He sighed, letting out a heavy breath.  "How did my life get so fucked up?" he whispered to no one in particular.  Right then, he would have given any money due him from his uncle's estate in exchange for a set of loving parents.  At least he had his aunt and uncle.  He knew they cared about him, which helped.  And deep down, he knew they didn't see him as a replacement for his cousin. That didn't mean that what had happened earlier still didn't hurt, though.  Stepping back slightly, he placed his elbows on the top of the wooden fence and rested his chin on top of his hands, watching as True Blue gave him one last look before turning to amble back over to some grass as he began to graze. 

 

* * *

 

Justin lay on top of his mattress, unable to sleep.  He had had enough sleep; he felt restless and agitated.  Worried about what would happen with Doug - if he would, indeed, decide to cooperate with Billy and the county prosecutor and provide enough information to have the real perpetrators arrested - he had found sleep to be an elusive commodity. 

 

Finally giving up, he rose from the bed and shuffled on bare feet over to the partly open window, enjoying the light breeze that filtered in between the curtains.  He sighed in melancholy, his eyes slowly scanning the backyard and adjacent stable area; his heart skipped a beat then as he immediately recognized the lean, tall figure standing near the paddock - close to Dale's horse.  "Brian?"  _What was he doing back here so soon?_ He wondered.  _And why was he out by the stables, instead of coming to see HIM?_

Did he really care why, though?  Of course not.  His rest abruptly forgotten, he hurried to slide into his well-loved sneakers as he rushed toward the closed bedroom door and then down the steps. 

 

As he descended the steps and reached the bottom, he tried to be discreet as he headed down the short hallway leading from the living room to the kitchen, hoping he could slip out without being discovered; his parents meant well, but they were being just a bit too clingy lately.  To his frustration, he observed his mother currently puttering around in the kitchen, wiping off the table with a dishrag.

 

Fortunately, Justin was quiet enough that he hadn't yet been discovered. Biting his lower lip anxiously, he softly turned around and crept back down the hallway - toward the front door.  Trying to be as quiet as possible, he flipped the latch toward the left to unlock it, and - with one last glance to make sure his mother hadn't noticed him - he pulled the door open just enough to slip outside, being careful not to close the door too hard as he let out a relieved breath.  Hurrying toward the wooden steps leading off the front porch, he quickly rushed around the side of the house and opened the rear gate, heading toward the other boy who was still standing by the fence with his back to him, his chin resting on his hands. 

 

He reached Brian's side in record time, noticing he didn't even seem to realize he was there. His suspicions were confirmed when he softly called out his name as he stood a few feet away.

 

"Brian?"

 

His back still to him, Justin watched as Brian raised his head and seemed to wipe his face with his hand.  He noticed him squaring his shoulders before he finally turned around to face him.  He immediately focused on the red-rimmed eyes and the look of sadness on Brian's face, before the other boy smiled at him.  "Hey." 

 

Justin frowned in concern as he walked closer to him.  "Brian, what's wrong?" he asked softly. He tentatively reached his right hand up to cup his lover's cheek.  "You look like you've been crying."  He could see some residual wetness on Brian's cheeks, so it was obvious he was upset about something. This was so unlike his typical confidence that it immediately put Justin on alert. 

 

Brian tentatively thought about flat out denying Justin's statement, but there was something about the soft blue eyes staring back at him with such care that he just couldn't do it.  He lifted his left hand to place it over Justin's, grasping it gently as he held onto it for dear life and pressed it against his chest. The warm hand captured in his helped to anchor him as he reassured him, "I'm okay.  Nothing for you to worry about."

 

But just as he suspected, Justin wasn't willing to let it go.  "Well, I _am_ worried about it," Justin told him, his eyes searching his lover's for any clue as to what was bothering him.  "If you're upset about something, then so am I.  God knows you've been there for me enough times when I was unhappy or sad about something.  Let me help, Brian. Tell me.  Please."  He curled his fingers over Brian's hand as he stared determinedly into the older boy's eyes. 

 

Brian stood there, mesmerized by the intensity in Justin's eyes.  What was it about this other boy that made him fall deeper and deeper in love with him? He no longer even attempted to deny that fact, even to himself.  A decision made, he gently pulled on Justin's hand.  "Come on.  Let's go somewhere and talk." 

 

* * *

 

Ten minutes later, the two of them were sitting on a log near the swimming hole - the same log the two of them had sat on when Brian had gifted his lover with the red, leather sketchbook before, the book that Justin would always treasure as one of his most cherished keepsakes.

 

As Brian sat there in deep thought, his eyes focused on the water glimmering off the sun that filtered through the trees above.  So much had happened since that first day he had seen the beautiful boy in the water that was currently sitting next to him. Yes, some of his time spent here at his aunt and uncle's farm had been distinctly foreign to him and somewhat traumatic. But as he turned his head to peer into a set of worried eyes, he also remembered a lot of good things that had happened as well. And a lot of them were directly attributable to Justin.  Justin placed his hand on Brian's thigh in quiet support as he sat quietly beside him, not pressing him for information until he was ready; of that Brian was extremely grateful. But he wanted to share what had happened; he _needed_ to.  

 

"My parents came to visit today," he unexpectedly revealed after several seconds, his eyes once more focused ahead. 

 

"They did?" Justin's heart skipped a beat; he wasn't quite sure what to make of that statement. Had they come to take Brian home early? They weren't supposed to do that until later in the summer. And if so, why was Brian still here?  Were his parents still over at the Walkers?  Was it possible Brian had been crying because they were going to have to say goodbye?  Justin's eyes teared up slightly as he considered that possibility.  "Are...are they still at your aunt and uncle's?" he finally asked, afraid of the answer.

 

But Brian shook his head and let out a harsh sort of laugh.  "No...they left a few hours ago. And I don't think they will ever come back, either. At least I fucking hope not." 

 

Justin frowned, trying to decipher what Brian had just said.  Part of him was relieved that Brian's parents had left, since apparently that indicated that Brian was remaining where he was, while part of him was quite perplexed.  "Brian? I don't understand." 

 

His companion sighed heavily then as he finally turned his attention back to him.  "They told me the rest of my probation has been waived by the judge."

 

Justin smiled in relief. "That's great!" he replied.  He furrowed his brow, however, at the look on the other boy's face. "Isn't it?" He was happy for Brian; now at least he wouldn't have to feel like someone was constantly looking over his shoulder. So why didn't Brian _look_ happy?  "But you're still here," he pointed out. "They didn't come here to take you back home, then?" 

 

Brian laughed scornfully.  "I don't think they cared if I left with them or not. That's not what they were interested in. The only thing THEY were interested in was the money." 

 

Justin chewed on his thumbnail.  "Money?" 

 

Brian sighed, brushing his hand restlessly through his hair. He would NOT tear up again in front of Justin; that was for sissies.  "Yeah....turns out my uncle who just died left me all his money in his will. And my parents found out about it.  That's why they were here.  My father is deeply in debt, and thought I was going to be his salvation."

 

Justin squeezed Brian's thigh a little more tightly, reeling from what he was telling him.  "Debt?" he asked softly, not sure how much to press the other boy. 

 

Brian nodded, his head averted downward. The whole thing was both painful as well as embarrassing.  "Yeah.  Seems my old man got fired from his job after he decided gambling was his full-time occupation instead."  He snorted as he lifted his head to peer out over at the water again.  "But he apparently wasn't very good at it.  He was too stupid to figure out that's why the casinos make all the money they do, because nine times out of ten you lose. And he lost big.  They can't even afford their mortgage now, and he and good old Mom figured I would bail them out."  Despite his vow a few moments before, he couldn't help the tears stinging his eyes as he unsuccessfully tried to hold them back.  "They didn't care about me, Justin," he whispered hoarsely, swallowing hard.  "They only came here for the money." A vein in his neck twitched as he revealed, "I told them to go to hell.  I don't give a fuck about the money. But I do know they aren't going to get a penny of it."  He took a deep breath to try and steady himself.  "My aunt and uncle told them to leave, so they finally did.  But not before they them that I would never amount to anything, and that I was only in their house as...as a substitute for Dale." 

 

Justin's eyes grew wide in disbelief, his heart breaking over Brian's parents' cruelty and callousness.  Releasing Brian's hand, he reached out to gently turn the other boy's face so he could look into his eyes, dismayed to see his eyes glistening with tears.  _I wish I could have had the pleasure of throwing their asses out of that house myself,_ he couldn't help thinking, furious over what they had done.  "Surely you don't believe that, Brian.  I know the Walkers, and I've seen how they are around you. They know the difference between you and Dale. They DO care about you - because of who you are, not because you might resemble Dale in some way. I remember Dale. You do have some similarities, but you're also a lot different, too.  They are honest, hardworking people, Brian. They would never see you as just some type of substitute for him.  You have to believe me."  He brushed some wetness away from Brian's cheek, noticing his lover casting his eyes downward as if he were embarrassed by his display.  Cupping his face with the palm of his hand, he told him, "I'm so sorry for what they did. You didn't deserve that. You are so loving, Brian; so good.  How could they do that to you?" 

 

Brian harumphed as he shook his head.  "Maybe they were right," was the astonishing reply. He half-laughed derisively.  "After all, I haven't had the best track record in the past. Once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker."  He pursed his lips tightly together, trying to quell any more tears, but it was a losing battle, a couple more trickling down his face as he whispered painfully,  "Maybe I'm not even worthy of being loved." 

 

Justin's response was immediate as he gripped Brian's chin firmly, forcing the other boy to look him directly in the eyes.  His own eyes darkened with fury and indignation as he growled, "Don't you ever _say_ that!  That is NOT true!  Your aunt and uncle _love_ you.  You have been so helpful to them, and I don't know how I would have coped this summer without you here. And..."  He took a deep breath to bolster his courage, hoping beyond hope that Brian wouldn't scoff at what he was about to say. But he couldn't hold it in any longer, especially now when Brian was in so much pain.  Brian's eyes bored silently into his, making him even more nervous as his heart started to pound. Was he about to make a big mistake? He wasn't even sure how Brian felt about him, not completely. He knew he cared about him, but....Just how much? Well, he wasn't going to back down now.  If there was ever a time to say it, he knew it was now.  "And...I love you, too," he whispered at last.  _There, it was finally out._   He felt incredibly anxious as he held his breath and waited for Brian's response, but he also felt relieved, too. It had been so hard to hold his feelings in, but now that he had finally said it, he was prepared to face the consequences.

 

He bit his lip as his hand dropped to rest against Brian's neck, his thumb idly caressing the soft hair there.  _Please say something; anything,_ he silently pleaded.

 

Brian's eyes widened slightly, his pupils dilating and making them appear even larger than they were as he stared in shock at the amazing boy sitting next to him; the boy who had entranced him with his feistiness, his courage, his intelligence, and his beauty - both inside and out.  Had he heard him right?  Or had he just wished it so?  "You...you _love_ me? He slowly repeated.  His heart hammered in his chest as he saw Justin smile self-consciously at him and shyly nod back at him in confirmation.  He peered intently back at him through his tears, still not quite sure whether to believe he had heard him correctly. But there could be no mistaking the tender look Justin was giving him.  Wow. If Justin loved him, then perhaps he WAS worthy of being loved. He knew then as he continued to stare into his eyes that he was certainly capable of loving someone else wholeheartedly, because he loved HIM, deeply and completely.  He reached up to grasp Justin's hand in his as he finally found his voice to reply at last, "I don't believe it."  He shook his head in amazement. 

 

Justin curled his fingers over Brian's hand as the older boy raised Justin's hand up to his mouth to tenderly kiss each digit, the warmth and wetness of his lips making Justin shiver.  He smiled softly back at him, his other worries temporarily forgotten along with his self-doubts as he finally found the courage himself to reveal, "I love you, too.  So damn much." 

 

Justin's face lit up with pleasure then as he used his grip on Brian's hand to bring their bodies closer together as they kissed passionately, both boys wrapping their arms around each other to tightly embrace.  Soaring tumultuously from his previous depths of despair, Brian's heart threatened now to explode from happiness as they continued to kiss deeply, their tongues dueling for supremacy as Brian grabbed the back of Justin's neck to pull him even further into his arms.  Their desire ramping up as they continued to kiss, they finally had to break for air, both of them panting breathlessly as they stared at each other in wonder. 

 

"You love me." Brian had to slowly repeat it as if he were still trying to believe it. He liked the sound of that. 

 

Justin smiled warmly.  "Yes.  And you love _me_." 

 

Brian smiled back at him as he nodded.

 

"Say it again," Justin implored, his left hand still playing with the soft hair at Brian's nape.

 

For the first time today, Brian chuckled before his face transformed into something tenderer as he whispered softly but firmly, "I love you, Justin Taylor. Every part of you."

 

"Name them."

 

Brian rolled his eyes.  "You _are_ a slut for compliments, aren't you?" 

 

Justin smiled.  "No...I just like to hear you say it," he insisted.

 

Brian rolled his eyes, but indulged him. "I love your nose, your lips, your ass, your eyes, your hair..."

 

"No, not just that. The other part, too."

 

Brian grinned in understanding; he knew all along what Justin had really wanted.  "And...I love _you_."  It was getting easier and easier to say it now. And now that he had, Brian found that he was quite relieved, as well as more than willing to repeat it, just to see that amazing smile on Justin's face.  Most of all, though, he was ecstatic that Justin felt the same way.

 

Justin's smile was blinding as he impulsively pulled Brian closer and plastered their lips together again.  Struggling to breathe out their noses, the two boys kissed passionately, their hands roaming everywhere, before they finally had to break apart again, panting softly as they stared at each other, eyes darkened with desire and their lips bruised from the passion of their kisses.  With trembling fingers, Justin began to unbutton Brian's shirt, his intentions crystal clear,- only to have Brian place his hands over his to stop him. 

 

"Justin..."

 

"Brian...I want you." 

 

Brian's wish to be with Justin again was warring with his common sense as he clearly heard the need and desire in his lover's voice; it was all he could do at that moment to show any self-restraint, but he knew he had no choice.  "Justin, fuck, I want you, too; you know that.  I _always_ want you." Justin's face lit up with eagerness until Brian added, "But I promised your parents I would watch over you, and keep you safe.  They don't even know you slipped out of your room, remember?  If they find out you're gone, they are going to go into a panic and think the worst, especially your mother."  Justin had informed him earlier how he had been able to sneak out of his house without his mother or father none the wiser, and that had been at least an hour ago. 

 

"Brian..." his lover protested, not liking the way their conversation was heading.  He knew the other boy was right, but that didn't make his desire for him any less.  "We can make it quick," he suggested hopefully, his eyes pleading with him. 

 

Brian maintained a firm grip on Justin's hands as he groaned.  "Justin, you're not making this easy on me," he admitted.  "But this is not a good time.  I think my aunt and uncle are probably wondering where I am by now, too, and I don't want to do anything to damage the progress I've made with your parents.  You know I'm right."  He heard Justin sigh in resignation then as he added, "We need to get back...okay?" 

 

Justin grudgingly nodded, despite his disappointment, as Brian rose and pulled him to his feet, still holding onto his hands.  Stealing another quick kiss from the other boy, the two of them proceeded to walk away from the swimming hole, Brian's arm wrapped around Justin's slender waist.

 

"Brian?"

 

Brian looked over at his companion.  "Yeah?" 

 

"I think everything's going to be okay. For both of us." 

 

Brian smiled as he pulled Justin a little closer to his body.  "Yeah.  I think so, too."  _As long as I have you - and your love._

 

* * *

_Same Time - Versailles County Prosecutor's Office_

Doug sat sullenly next to his father, scowling across the heavy wooden desk at Dan McFarland, the county prosecutor.  Sitting quietly in another chair in the far corner behind the prosecutor was Billy, the sheriff.  Doug wasn't sure why he had been unceremoniously summoned here - with his father threatening to never speak to him if he didn't - but he felt distinctly like a boxed-in tiger at a roadside zoo.  His father sat beside him to his left, appearing restless and worried, his brow creased with concern.

 

As if he were reading his mind, the prosecutor took a quiet breath before he addressed him.  "I'm sure you're wondering why you were called here."

 

Doug snorted.  "You want to talk about the odds on whether UK is going to get into the Final Four next year.  I think the prospects are really good," he told him sarcastically. 

 

McFarland smiled thinly at him as he replied, "No. But I AM going to talk about some other type of odds. The odds of you spending a long time in prison - until you're old enough to need a walker when you get out; IF you get out."

 

Doug paled noticeably and his smug grin promptly vanished as he realized how serious his situation was.  Not that he didn't already know in a way, but to hear confirmation of it from the man who would be trying him made it much more real.  "Don't you think I fucking know that?" he growled.

 

His father reached over to firmly grasp his forearm.  "Doug, I suggest you keep your mouth shut, and listen to what the prosecutor has to say." 

 

Doug stared over at his father open-mouthed, a little shocked at the hard tone of his voice.  He knew he had made some occasional bad choices in the past - some of which were not legal, or merely childish pranks - but his father had always taken his side, or at least dismissed them as not being very significant. But now...now it was obvious that his father felt vastly different about this situation.  "I'm not saying anything without an attorney," he told them defiantly as he crossed his arms across his chest.

 

His father sighed heavily.  "Doug, you have already admitted to what you did to Justin. Don't you think I'd have an attorney here if it would make a difference? Trust me, it won't.  That's not the ONLY thing you have to worry about.  It's time for you to man up to what you did; ALL of it."  He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a tension headache about to bloom into full intensity.

 

Doug's eyes grew wide with disbelief and dread.  "What?  What the hell are you talking about?"  He swallowed hard, somehow knowing the answer before he was given it.

 

"You told Jared all about your involvement not only with Justin's injury, but also the Walker boy's death a few years ago. We have it all in crystal clear clarity," Billy spoke up then, unable to keep a little bit of the satisfaction out of his voice as he noticed the boy's face pale.    

 

Doug's blood ran cold, but he forced a smile on his face.  He knew how the game was played. They were merely fishing...weren't they? "You don't know a damn thing," he told them confidently.  "You're just trying to pin something else on me. You're lying." 

 

Before the prosecutor could respond, Doc Kesterson spoke up.  "You idiot!  Do you realize just how much trouble you're in? They know everything! Everything that you told the older Taylor boy." 

 

Doug's heart pounded, his eyes darkening with fury as realization set in.  He wasn't sure HOW he had been betrayed, but that did not change the facts. "He sold me out!" he snarled.  "Damn him!  Just wait until I get my fucking hands on him! He'll pay for this!" 

 

"You'll do nothing of the kind, boy," his father snapped, utterly disgusted by what he had discovered. All along he thought his only son was merely a free spirit; a minor troublemaker who lived just on the edge between mischievousness and minor pranks.  He never thought in a million years that he would ever be responsible for someone else being hurt - or worse. Once he had been invited in by the prosecutor and his friend, Billy, to listen to what his son had revealed to the Taylor boy, however, he realized just how naïve he had been - and just how serious a hole his son had dug himself into.  "You will shut your mouth and listen to what they have to say," he told Doug.  "Or you will be in even deeper trouble than you already are.  Do you understand?" 

 

Doug's mouth hung open in shock and his previous defiance promptly abandoned him; his father had never spoken to him this way.  He looked from him to the stern faces of the other two men intently staring over at him before finally closing his mouth and nodding, his heart thudding in his chest.  The enormity of what he had done - and what the consequences could be - hung over him like a thick cloud of doom.  He sighed heavily.  "So what do you want from me?" he asked the prosecutor.  "I was only doing what they asked. I didn't know anyone would wind up getting hurt." 

 

McFarland shook his head in contempt.  "Do you know how many times I have heard someone say that, son?" he asked him.  "And besides; it doesn't matter what you thought.  What _does_ matter are the consequences.  By being a willing accomplice to both crimes, you are as much responsible - and prosecutable - as the others.  And subject to the same, stiff penalties." 

 

Doug's swallowed hard.  "I didn't have any choice," he whispered painfully.  "They would have killed ME if I hadn't done what they asked.  I didn't mean for it to happen," he insisted weakly. 

 

"Yes, you DID have a choice," his father snapped.  "You could have avoided all of this if you had stayed away from the tracks.  You could have come to me with the truth, instead of compounding lie upon lie."  He shook his head sadly.  "I am so disappointed in you, Doug. I never raised you this way.  If your mother were alive right now...."  He shook his head.  "She must be turning in her grave as we speak." 

 

His son quickly transformed from his typical cocky self into more of a little boy as tears sprang to his eyes at the mention of his mother, who had died when he was eight years old.  He had worshiped his mother, bringing her wildflowers from the nearby fields and proudly rushing home to show her his good grades in school.  Once his mother had died suddenly from an undetected aneurysm in her brain, however, his despair had been unquenchable, and no amount of sympathy or occasional, extra attention from his father could overcome it.  He had turned from a happy, carefree little boy into a sullen, pot smoking alcoholic by the time he was a teenager.  And from there, he had never looked back, barely making just good enough grades and staying out of major trouble to keep flying under the radar of his ever-busy doctor father.  By the time he had reached high school, however, his gambling addiction and exposure to the wrong crowd had forever turned him in a life-changing direction - one that he could never escape from. 

 

He blinked, trying to hold back his tears.  "I...I tried to talk to you," he insisted, his voice barely above a whisper.  "I needed you after Mom died. But you were usually too busy for me." 

 

Doc Kesterson sighed; he DID regret never seeming to have quite enough time for his son back then.  But he was the only doctor in the county who still made house calls, even to this day; plus he had his additional duties at the Red Mill as their doctor on call.  Would he have done some things differently if he had had the chance?  Yes. But it was too late for that now.  "I'm sorry for that, Doug," he murmured sadly.  He took a deep breath to steel himself.  "But that doesn't change what you've done.  And how much trouble you're in." 

 

The country prosecutor cleared his throat then to get the Doc's and Doug's attention.  "We are prepared to make a deal with you, Doug," he told him quietly.

 

Doug's eyes widened with a small degree of hopefulness as well as wariness.  "What _kind_ of deal?"

 

McFarland clasped his hands together on top of the desk, glancing over at the sheriff in the corner, as he advised him curtly, "You tell us everything - and I mean _everything_ \- you know about the people responsible for both Justin's injuries and Dale's death - and plead no contest to the charges against you, and we will arrange for you to obtain a lighter sentence at your hearing." 

 

"How do I know you won't back down on what you're promising me?" Doug countered.  "And just how much of a lighter sentence are we talking about?"

 

"Doug..."

 

"No, Dad, I want to know!" he growled, grasping onto one last sliver of rebellion.  "And I'm not going to agree to anything unless I have it in writing."

 

The prosecutor eyed him with barely concealed irritation.  "We don't work with verbal agreements," he informed him, almost insulted at the thought.  "Everything will be well documented and spelled out clearly - once you hold up _your_ end of the deal.  As for how much time will be shaved off your sentence, right now as it stands you are facing a minimum of 35 years of hard time in the federal pen in Louisville; maybe even life in prison with the possibility of parole if you're lucky - only after the 35 years have been served," he told him, noticing the boy's face whiten in reaction.  "However, we will recommend to the judge that in light of your...cooperation...that your sentence be reduced from murder and attempted murder to voluntary manslaughter and assault.  That should shave at least 10 - 20 years off your sentence, and will take the possibility of life in prison off the table." 

 

Doug's eyes narrowed.  "That is not much of a deal," he told him stiffly.  "I'll still be in prison for years." 

 

"You will be either way," the prosecutor informed him flatly.  "But which one is more preferable?  Possibly leaving prison in a casket - or being able to enjoy some freedom while you are still able to?  Take it or leave it," he demanded.  "That is the best you are going to get. Otherwise, I will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law - and the real people behind the two crimes will get away scot free.  Is that what you want, Doug? To rot in jail, while the others are free to roam from track to track, committing the same type of crimes? Do you want that on your conscience, too? Or do you even HAVE one?" 

 

Doug looked over helplessly at his father for support, but his heart sank as he noticed the hard look on his face.  "Dad?" he whispered, suddenly feeling like that little boy again. 

 

"Take the deal, Doug," his father told him sharply.  "If you don't, you will only be making it harder on yourself, and letting the others off the hook. Do you want to be responsible for something else happening to the Taylor boy? Or someone else being killed because you weren't man enough to admit what you did and come clean?  Finally do what is right. Take the deal, and tell them what they need to know to stop any more of this from happening."  He paused, his face softening somewhat as he added, "I will never understand why you did what you did - and why you didn't come to me when you started to get in over your head. But God help me, I still love you. And I will do everything I can to support you. But first you have to help yourself." 

 

Doug closed his eyes briefly in anguish; all of his previous bravado gone. The thought of going to prison petrified him; he had been in the local jail overnight on occasion - until his father would invariably show up to post bail - but he knew it would be nothing like being in the federal system.  How in the hell had he expected to continue doing what he had been doing without suffering any consequences?  Had he been so blinded by his need for just one more bet - and the possibility of becoming rich and being a ‘big man' - that he had lost sight of everything else?   Would this be any worse than possibly being killed for revealing his part in the others' activities?

 

"Doug?" 

 

His name being spoken by the prosecutor made him open his eyes, noticing all three men peering over at him expectantly.

 

"Do we have a deal?" McFarland pressed.  "It's a one-time-only offer," he told him.  "Either you agree to it today - and tell us everything you know in order to get these men off the streets - or we prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law while they go free.  Which one will it be?"  He pursed his lips together in a no-nonsense way, and Doug realized he had only one choice.  It wouldn't mean freedom - but it would mean that perhaps one day he might be able to walk out of prison and still have some small smigden of a normal life.

 

Carding his hair with his fingers in resignation, he sighed.  "Where do I start?" 

 

The prosecutor nodded in satisfaction as he reached over to grab the phone on his desk.  "Your information will be taped and recorded...and we will need your signature on some paperwork," he informed him.  "Give me five minutes," he added.  "And then...you start at the beginning." 

 

Feeling his father's hand squeezing his shoulder in support, he nodded glumly.  "Okay."

 


	29. The Most Valuable Thing of All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian finds out more about his uncle's estate when his attorney pays him a visit. How will it change his future? Doug realizes the full severity of what he has done.

 

_Five Hours Later..._

Doc Kesterson watched as his son signed the transcribed statement with shaky hands.  He could tell Doug was exhausted, both mentally and physically; so was he.  It had been heart wrenching watching his only child admit to being the pawn of some shady, underground group of men intent on wreaking havoc, heartbreak, and grief on others, merely out of greed.  Greed as well as desperation, however, could be a powerful weapon, and the catalyst for some horrific deeds, not the least of which had been causing the death of a young man who had been so full of promise.  Even though he had already been aware of Doug being involved, to hear his own son describe the lengths to which the others were going to ensure success was mind boggling as well as frightening. And to hear him describe his actions, albeit as a not-so-willing accomplice, was astonishing as he listened with dismay to his only child's account of what he had done.

 

Doug had first encountered the sinister, shadowy cartel at the track in Lexington, where he had often traveled to bet on the horses there, seeking the adrenalin rush that occurred within him whenever he happened to sporadically strike it rich.  The feeling was always temporary, however, and the desperation that resulted afterward fueled his vulnerability when he confided in one of the groomsmen at the track about his dilemma, who in turn introduced him to the group that would become an integral part of his life for the next several years. 

 

Once he had borrowed money from them, it was like he was stuck in quicksand, so mired in his involvement and his gambling addiction that there was no escaping it.  They were ruthless men; men used to using force or the threat of actual death to keep their lackeys in line.  Doug's confession about his involvement with them could very well spell death to him, even in prison.  Their power was far reaching. But the alternative was no better out on the streets, now that he had revealed some of their information, so in a way he was relieved to finally have it all out in the open.  As he peered over and observed the sorrowful, disappointed look on his father's face, however, he realized he had committed a far worse crime.  It would be a long time - if at all - before his father would ever trust him again.

 

The entire story regarding the sordid years leading up to where he was now poured out of his mouth like a flood.  How he had rigged the Walker boy's sully wheels to come loose during his last race, how he had also stolen some more of his father's ketamine out of his medical bag - much like he had done with Justin - and how he had tried initially to slip some into Dale's water bottle, too, only to fail when another rider had decided to pay the Walker boy a visit just before the race was to start.  Being afraid that somehow he would be detected and be connected to the sabotage - and being scared shitless of what the shadowy loan sharks would do to him if they found out he had bungled their orders - he had opted for Plan B; a decision that had left one talented, young man dead, and another vulnerable one irrevocably broken beyond redemption.  And how one man - an enigmatic person by the name of Marty McComb - had been the ringleader behind it all, and wielded his power by intimidation and by threat of death to any who dare oppose him. 

 

Billy nodded as he picked the signed paper up.  "You're making the right decision, Doug," he quietly assured him.  "You very well may be saving some other lives by helping to get these lowlifes off the street."   

 

Doug exhaled a shuddery breath as his father squeezed his shoulder.  "I wish I had never placed my first bet.  Or met them." 

 

Despite what he had done, Billy couldn't help feeling sorry for this kid who had obviously gotten in over his head, and he could clearly see the turmoil the Doc was going through.  He knew his old friend had done everything he could to raise his son right; unfortunately, as was often the case, the kid had simply gotten in with the round crowd.  Peer pressure could be damn persuasive, and teenagers, especially, would do anything if it meant they could fit in with the rest.  Once Doug had begun to travel down that path, apparently there was no turning back.

 

But even though he felt sympathy toward him, he was also the law, the enforcer of rules.  And the kid's actions were simply too grave and too serious to warrant a simple slap on the wrist. 

 

The Doc took a deep breath, rousing Billy from his inner thoughts.  "Now what happens?" he asked quietly, his hand still clamped on his son's shoulder. 

 

The county prosecutor cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Your son will need to plead guilty to the lesser charges, and we will recommend the lighter sentence - _after_ we have apprehended the ringleader and his cronies.  That is the bargain," he reminded them, eying the Kesterson boy intently. 

 

"But I have no control over whether or not you'll be able to bring them in!" Doug pointed out, his face awash with apprehension.  "How do you think they've managed to stay under the radar for this long?  They're not going to just turn themselves in!"

 

"I'm well aware of that, young man," McFarland replied tersely.  "And I didn't say it would be easy. But the agreement is that you provide information that leads to their apprehension, and then testify against them.  If those two stipulations are not met, then the agreement is null and void.  Take it, or leave it.  Your choice.  I can still rip up this agreement right now if you prefer.  But then bear in mind, we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law." 

 

Doug sighed heavily.  "Do you think I have a choice?" he retorted.  "But you don't know who you're dealing with!  They will KILL me if you don't find them! And McComb...he may still do that.  I won't be safe, even in prison."  His eyes filled with tears.  "Oh, my God. What have I gotten myself into?  I never meant for any of this to get this far." 

 

"You should have thought about that a long time ago, Son," McFarland replied curtly.  He wasn't totally unsympathetic to the young man's plight, either, but he had learned a long time ago that in order to do his job, he had to remain detached.  "The best I can do is recommend that you be held in a facility separate from McComb and his other men.  This is your last chance to back out.  What will it be?" 

 

Doug huffed derisively.  "You already have my statement," he pointed out.  "And there's no way I can go back out on the street, not now."  He sighed heavily.  "All right, all right; I will testify against them as part of the deal.  Satisfied now?"

 

McFarland and Billy exchanged a look before Billy shook his head and replied, "No, Son. Neither one of us will be satisfied until all of these men are in jail, and they can't hurt anyone anymore."  He turned to the Doc to advise him, "We will keep your son in protective custody until the other men are apprehended, and we meet before the judge."

 

The Doc nodded grimly, wishing all of this could just be a bad dream. And in a way it was; only it was a nightmare he and his son would never awake from. 

 

* * *

 

_Two Days Later - Morning - Walker Farm_

The unexpected sound of someone knocking on their back door momentarily startled Sarah, Will, and Brian as they finished their breakfast. 

 

"Land sakes!" Sarah cried out, clutching her hand to her chest briefly; normally they could hear someone approaching, but somehow this person managed to defy that norm.  "Scared the dickens out of me!"  She wiped her mouth with her napkin before scooting back from her chair to see who was at the back door. 

 

Brian smiled in amusement over her choice of words. He was slowly becoming accustomed to some of the unusual phrasing he heard, but occasionally his aunt or uncle still came up with some new ones. Sometimes, he almost thought he was living on another planet, even now.

 

His heart sped up as he watched his aunt walk over and open the back screen door, issuing a greeting to Jennifer and Craig Taylor - and then Justin.  His eyes immediately latched onto the younger boy the moment he and his parents walked into the room, and he noted with a certain sense of satisfaction that Justin was doing the same.  It had been two days since he had seen him; two days too long. 

 

"Jennifer! Craig!  Justin!  Please come in. Would you care for some coffee?  I have some of my homemade blueberry muffins."

 

The trio stood just inside the door as Justin's parents both shook their heads.  "No, thanks, Sarah," Jennifer told her.  "We just finished breakfast ourselves."  She held out two Mason jars with a red-and-white gingham patterned top, tied with a twine bow.  "I brought you some of my honey. I thought you might be running low, and could use some more."  She made a point of providing her neighbor with some of her honey throughout the summer, being rewarded with some amazing desserts from Sarah later on as a token of her appreciation. 

 

"Yes, I could!" Sarah cried out in delight as she accepted the two jars.  "Thank you, Jennifer! You're too kind."  Jennifer nodded back with a smile as Sarah eyed the youngest Taylor boy.  "Justin, surely you're not going to refuse one of my blueberry muffins?"  She knew that was one of his favorites.

 

She noticed him smiling back at her as he reluctantly tore his gaze away from Brian to reply politely, "No, ma'am.  I'd love one."  She nodded, pleased, as she reached over and handed him one.  "Thank you," he replied with a smile, as he took a bite from off the top.  "These are great," he told her, his mouth half-full. 

 

She laughed.  "You're welcome.  Why don't we all go into the living room, and sit down?" 

 

Brian pushed his chair back from the table, his uncle doing the same, as he furiously thought of a way to be alone with Justin. He had no idea why all the Taylors were here - probably to offer up some sympathy to his aunt and uncle over what had been happening recently regarding Dale - but he figured it couldn't have anything to do with him.  He thought this would be a perfect time, then, to head outside for a little alone time with Justin.  "Uh...if you won't be needing us, Aunt Sarah, I'd like to show Justin the new project I'm working on."  He had found out that he actually enjoyed working in carpentry since he had arrived here; his uncle had been teaching him how to accurately measure wood for building, and how to operate the various tools required, and when his uncle had mentioned how badly they were in need of a new chicken coop, he had volunteered to build it.  Over the past few days, he had found it to be both relaxing and enjoyable, not to mention it provided him with a certain sense of satisfaction to watch something come together out of virtually nothing.  It was far from the excitement of working on sportscars, or racing them, but he was finding it to be interesting nonetheless, and it made him feel useful, especially after everything his parents had said about him. That still stung, even though he knew they had no right to say what they did.  But it still didn't make all the hurt go away. However, as he peered over at his aunt and uncle - and then Justin - he did not feel the pain so intensely.  They had helped enormously to deaden the anguish he had felt before. And to know now that Justin loved him; that made everything that much better. 

 

To his surprise and disappointment, his aunt shook her head.  "No, you definitely need to stay; this is about _you_."

 

"Huh?"  Brian frowned; had he heard that right?

 

She nodded her head.  "Come on," she urged him and the others.  "We'll be more comfortable in the living room."

 

* * *

 

"Now...I'm assuming this is not just some social call." Will surmised as Craig nodded his head.  They had all found seats on either the couch or the two overstuffed chairs, with the exception of Brian and Justin, who were leaning against the far wall as they stood side-by-side.  Brian longed to reach over and grasp Justin's hand, to touch him anywhere, but he felt too awkward in front of the other boy's parents to do it - at least just yet. 

 

"You're correct,"  Craig answered then in confirmation, turning to peer over at Brian briefly before fixing his gaze back on the other man.  "Your wife didn't tell you?" 

 

Will frowned as he turned to his wife.  "Something you forgot to tell me, Sarah?" he asked quietly. 

 

She shook her head.  "Not really. Not much to tell. Since Craig has a background in accounting - and helped us make up our wills for Clyde to record - I thought that maybe he could help Brian by contacting his uncle's attorney."  Clyde Barton was an attorney in town; in fact, the _only_ attorney in town.  "But that's as far as it went," she assured him, as she peered over at her neighbor.  "Did you find out something, Craig?" 

 

"Well, I contacted Clyde, since he and I have known each other for some time now, and he was also good friends with my father-in-law," he explained as Jennifer nodded in agreement; her father and Clyde were the same age, and had practically grown up together.  "He did some research to determine who the attorney was for the estate, and contacted him.  He should be here any minute to go over the will in detail."

 

Brian's eyes grew wide.  "Attorney?  He's coming here?"  He hadn't forgotten what his parents had said about his uncle's estate when they had visited the other day, but he had pushed it to the back of his mind.  He knew they had been under the impression that his uncle had left him a substantial amount in his will, but after they left he began to question just how much was fact and how much was assumption.  They did not keep in touch with his uncle very much; so how did they know how affluent he was at the time of his death? For all THEY knew, he might have squandered his money somehow, and been worth a lot less than they thought he was.  But the fact that the attorney was making a special trip here to speak with him made him wonder. 

 

"Yeah," Craig replied.  He glanced up at the clock above the arched doorway.  "Should have been here about ten minutes ago, in fact."  As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the crunch of gravel could be heard, growing louder and louder, indicating an approaching car. 

 

"I'll go check," Will offered, as he rose from his place on the couch and headed down the hallway toward the kitchen. 

 

_Fuck it_ , Brian abruptly decided, feeling anxious as he reached over to clasp Justin's hand, feeling the other boy gripping his tightly in return. The two exchanged a look as they heard a male voice greeting Brian's uncle, and then the screen door squeaking as it was swung open.  A few seconds later, two pairs of footsteps headed down the short hallway toward the living room.

 

A tall, distinguished man with salt-and-pepper hair, carrying a black, leather briefcase and wearing a dark suit - looking decidedly out of place in the middle of the country - appeared in the doorway as Will announced, "This is Walter Davis. He's the attorney for Brian's uncle." 

 

"Hello, everyone," he greeted them smoothly, looking around the room. His eyes settled on the two boys standing near the wall, their hands clasped together, and he immediately decided the taller of the two boys had to be his client's beneficiary; there was a distinct resemblance between them.  "Are you Brian Kinney?" he asked.

 

Brian nodded mutely. 

 

"Good. You're the one I need to speak to, then," he explained in a businesslike manner.  He paused.  "Do you prefer to discuss this in private?" he asked. 

 

Brian studied the others peering over at him curiously.  He felt Justin silently squeezing his hand, providing him with the courage to finally act, as he shook his head.  "No," he told the older man firmly.  "They can hear what you have to say." 

 

He nodded.  "Very well, then.  May I?" he asked, pointing toward an empty chair near the coffee table.

 

"Of course. Where are my manners?" Sarah exclaimed; she had been so caught up in what was happening that she had forgotten her normal custom when it came to guests.  "I'm Sarah Walker, Brian's aunt. Let me introduce you to the others here."

 

The man smiled his thanks at her, shaking hands as Jennifer, Craig, and Justin were introduced to him, before Sarah urged him to sit in their rocker recliner.   As soon as the formalities had been dispensed with, Mr. Davis sat down and unlatched his briefcase to pull out a legal-sized folder with several papers inside. 

 

"I can read this over to you line by line, Mr. Kinney," Davis advised Brian politely, unable to help noticing the young man his client was presently holding hands with; he was long past the point, however, where he felt it was his place to judge, so it really did not faze him.  "But to be frank, it's mainly a bunch of legalese that can be summarized quite easily.  You will be given a complete copy of your uncle's will when I finish, also.  Do you want the full version, then, or the condensed one?"

 

"You can just cut to the chase," Brian informed him simply as the man nodded.

 

"Very well, then.  Your uncle and I went way back.  And through the years, not only did I serve him as official legal counsel for his business transactions, but he often asked for my advice regarding his private investments as well.  Your uncle was a very shrewd businessman, and his holdings at the time of his death were quite substantial."  He glanced down at the paper in front of him - seemingly verifying what he was about to say - before he advised Brian, "Mr. Kinney was an enthusiastic proponent of environmental causes, and felt the need to leave a generous trust account for the Lake Evelyn Conservation Fund in New York.  I understand the two of you used to do a lot of fishing up there when you were younger.  Your uncle often spoke fondly of those times - and of you, Mr. Kinney."

 

Brian nodded back silently in reaction, a lump in his throat.  Until now he hadn't realized how much he had treasured those moments with his uncle - and how much he had missed him.  His uncle had been the one, bright spot in his childhood, and he had looked forward to those trips more than he could ever express. When he had lost touch with his uncle, his world had turned a lot more dismal.  He had often thought that his father might have had something to do with that out of some jaded sense of jealousy over the bond he had developed with his uncle; now, with everything he now knew, he was more certain than ever that he had been right. 

 

The attorney cleared his throat then, jolting Brian out of his sentimental reverie as he glanced over at him to refocus his attention on the matter at hand. 

 

"Anyway, as I way saying, your uncle was very fond of you, Brian.  He wrote a letter that he instructed me to hold for you."  Brian's eyes widened in surprise as he watched the attorney produce a plain, white, business-size envelope from his briefcase.  "I was told to only give it to you upon his death," he explained, as he rose to his feet and headed over to Brian.  He noticed Brian's hand tremble slightly as he accepted the letter and stared down at the crisp, white lettering on the front of the envelope with his name neatly written in cursive.  He instantly recognized his uncle's bold, elegant handwriting as he stared down at the last memento he would ever have from the man who had helped make his childhood just a bit more bearable. 

 

"Aren't you going to open it?" Justin asked softly by his side, as Brian continued to silently stare down at it. 

 

Brian took a deep breath before he unexpectedly turned to his uncle to ask, "Would you read it?  Please?" 

 

His uncle appeared a little surprised by the request, but nonetheless he nodded as he rose from his chair nearby and walked over to take the envelope from his nephew.  Standing next to Brian, he carefully tore along the end of the envelope and slid the white piece of paper out to unfold it as he began to read it aloud:

 

_Dear Brian,_

_I remember very fondly the times we spent alone together at my cabin, and all the wonderful fishing expeditions we took each summer as you were growing up, although to my consternation, you were frequently the better fisherman than I._

Brian smiled in remembrance as his uncle paused to take a breath; he recalled how often their dinner depended upon his skill - or was it luck? - in snaring a bass or two during the day. And while they had both used worms as bait, it was normally him who wound up with the biggest catch by the time they had returned from one of the rocky points that ringed the lake and were ideal for the small-mouthed species.  Eventually, their friendly competition over who could catch the most netted him a new fishing rod for his troubles; one that to this day he still stored in the back of his parents' garage.  Now he wished somehow that he had brought it with him.  Of course, when he had left, he never dreamed it might be the last time he would be returning there. 

 

He focused his mind back on the present as his uncle resumed reading the letter: 

 

_At the risk of sounding arrogant, Brian, I was a very astute businessman over the years, and I never regretted treating each person I dealt with in an honorable manner.  What I DO regret, however, was not staying in touch with you, even when my brother demanded that I cease all contact with you.  I will always feel badly about that, because I always sensed that you needed something that you were not receiving under your parents' care, and perhaps someone to confide in. But Jack was your father, so I felt that I needed to abide by his wishes._

Brian's eyes narrowed in anger as he realized his fears had been correct; his father had been responsible for his losing touch with his Uncle Dave.  All along, he had been led to believe that he and his uncle had drifted apart merely due to him moving away and no longer wanting to stay in touch. Apparently there had been a more insidious reason at work.  "That motherfucker," he growled under his breath, unable to keep his anger in check. 

 

"You have a concern, Mr. Kinney?" the attorney asked as everyone peered over at Brian; only Justin had overheard what he had said.

 

Brian huffed.  "Nothing I want to say aloud," he finally replied.  "I want to hear the rest." The attorney nodded then as Will continued to read:

_Now, if you are reading this, you know that I am no longer on this Earth, but have hopefully moved onto more glorious rewards; more than any amount of money could ever buy. But that does not mean that I cannot provide the financial means to help my nephew achieve his hopes and dreams.  While I was always of the mind that money does NOT buy happiness - if it did, I would have married and had several children - I CAN tell you that I was never happier than when we spent time together.  I am hopeful that this gift to you, then, will remind you of those times, and I know you will bear well the responsibility that comes with this gift.  May it always BE a gift, Brian, and not a burden.  Affectionately yours, Uncle Dave._

Will carefully folded the paper and slid it back into the envelope before silently handing it to his nephew, his face reflecting the sympathy he - and everyone else - presently felt. Brian nodded his thanks, sniffling to hold back some tears that threatened to fall - before he placed it in his jeans pocket for safekeeping.

 

Justin squeezed his hand again as Brian briefly leaned against him, the other boy trying somehow to offer the support Brian needed without voicing it aloud.  Brian let go of his hand after a few seconds to slide his own around the other boy's waist, pulling him closer, as Justin did the same, his own eyes glistening.  If Brian hurt, he hurt, and it was clearly obvious by the look on Brian's face that he was deeply affected by the letter.  

 

Davis cleared his throat again to get everyone's attention as he informed them, "Now...in conjunction with that letter, Mr. Kinney, and in deference to your wishes, I'm going to give the condensed version of what is contained in your uncle's will.  Apart from a 10% endowment to the Lake Evelyn Conservation Fund, the remainder of my client's estate has been bequeathed to you.  There is a stipulation, however.  You will initially be given control of 10% of the bequeathed amount, with the remainder placed in a trust account until you turn 21. At that point, you are free to use the money as you see fit."

 

No one had a chance to ask what was uppermost on everyone's mind before Davis informed them, "As of today, the amount of the estate - minus the donation to the conservation fund - stands in excess of three million dollars. So according to the conditions in the will, you are presently entitled to 10% of that - or $300,000.  I would suggest you consult with a trusted attorney or CPA to determine how best to handle this amount, and to lessen the tax burden. Also, I will need to know how you wish for the funds to be distributed, and where you want the funds deposited." 

 

Brian's face turned ashen as he stood there, his mouth agape in stunned disbelief. "Wh...What?"  He stammered.  "Did you say... _$300,000_?" 

 

Mr. Davis nodded solemnly as he folded his hands on the briefcase.  "Yes, that would be correct.  The actual amount will fluctuate slightly, since part of your uncle's estate is diversified into several stocks, but that should be fairly accurate.   The exact amount will depend upon the day the funds are transferred into your name." 

 

Brian suddenly felt sick.  "I think I need to sit down," he murmured as his aunt scooted over on the couch to make room for him.  He walked over and sat down next to her, placing his elbows on his knees as he cradled his head in his hands.  _$300,000._ He couldn't even imagine it.  And there would be more when he turned 21; a LOT more.  He had no idea how to handle that type of wealth.  No _wonder_ his parents wanted to get their hands on his uncle's estate!

 

"You don't have to do anything now," the attorney quietly instructed him, realizing how overwhelmed the young man must be.  "But I will need to transfer the funds within a week of the will being officially filed with the court.  So I recommend that you find someone you can trust to counsel you on your next move.  And I would think about getting a personal financial advisor as well, especially when you turn 21. Until then, I will be overseeing your trust account, and ensuring that it is kept safe. You alone will have access to it at the appropriate time." 

 

Brian lifted his head to peer over at him.  "Maybe _you_ could..." he began, but the man shook his head regretfully.

 

"No, I wouldn't feel right handling your funds," he was told.  "Not after being your uncle's attorney.  For propriety's sake, it is best you find someone else.  And someone closer to where you live here would be best, I think. That way, you can meet with this person on a frequent basis to keep apprised of how the funds are being properly managed."  Pulling out several other sheets of paper from the folder, he stated, "Here is a certified copy of your uncle's will for your records; the original document will be filed with the State of New York."  He placed the folder down on the coffee table as he snapped his briefcase closed and rose to stand.  "Now I really must be going," he informed them.  "I need to head back to Lexington. I'm on the evening fight back to New York City."  The others, too, rose to stand as he took a few moments to shake their hands before, briefcase in hand, he turned to go.  "Good luck, Son," he told Brian.  "I know it's a big responsibility, but your uncle felt you would be able to handle it.  If I can be of any further help, my business card is on the coffee table in the folder.  Please don't hesitate to contact me."  As Sarah made to join him, he politely shook his head.  "I'll walk myself out, Ma'am.  Thank you all for your hospitality."  With one final nod, he turned and walked down the short hallway toward the backdoor, returning to his vehicle. A few minutes later, the sound of his car proceeding back down the road could be heard before the sound disappeared entirely. 

 

"Holy shit," Brian couldn't help murmuring as he sat down in a daze, still trying to digest what the attorney had just told him.  He remained on the couch, hands on his knees, as he peered down at the folder below.    He shook his head.  "I don't believe it."  He felt his aunt's hand slowly rubbing circles on his back to try and calm him, but his stomach was doing somersaults.

 

For once Will or Sarah did not move to admonish their nephew regarding his language; not this time. They - and everyone else in the room - were as shocked as he was.  "Well, I never..." Sarah murmured as she continued to stroke Brian's back comfortingly.  She was thinking much the same thing as Brian was.  No wonder Joan and Jack had been intent on coming to visit him.  She also wondered if they knew exactly how much money was involved.  No matter WHO the benefactor was, this was a substantial amount. And the attorney was correct; it was an awesome responsibility to place on such a young man's shoulders, and he would need guidance on how best to utilize it.  At least now they would not have to worry about Brian's welfare from a financial viewpoint, anyway, nor would he have to return home if he didn't want to.  That didn't lessen the pain of what his parents had done, however.

 

"Brian, I know this is all a big shock," she began.  "And I'm sure you don't need to do something right away. But Mr. Davis is right.  You will need to find someone to help you handle your finances now."  She peered over at Craig then as she advised her nephew, "That's the main reason why I asked for Craig's help.  I thought with his accounting background, he could either help you himself, or at least recommend someone reliable to assist you.  He generously agreed to come over and provide whatever help he could for you, and to see if he could reach your uncle's attorney.  I told that you were apparently the beneficiary of your uncle's estate; but that was all the information I gave him." 

 

Brian nodded, a little surprised that Justin's father had wanted to help him.  But he was still grateful - and glad that Craig Taylor was slowly beginning to accept him being around his son; if he didn't feel that way, he highly doubted that he would have agreed to help him - unless he thought there was some financial gain to be derived. That would certainly blunt his impression of the man. To his relief, however, he soon found out that the man's motives were pure.

 

"I'll be glad to offer whatever advice I can," Craig told him quietly.  "But I most likely will need to refer you to one of the estate attorneys in Lexington.  They would be the best resource for you regarding what to do with the funds."  Craig couldn't help feeling just a twinge of envy for what Brian was about to receive; after all, they were barely making ends meet each month.  But his son's respect was worth more than any amount of money, and if it meant barely staying afloat each month at the expense of losing that, then there was no question which one he would choose.  He still hoped, however, that a new job would be on the horizon. So far, though, the interviews were few and far between. 

 

"Thank you," Brian told him softly, still reeling from what he had just learned.  He glanced over at Justin, who had been uncharacteristically quiet.  "I'd...like to get some fresh air," he told the others present, as he rose to his feet.  "Justin, take a walk with me?" he asked, relieved when Justin gave him a half-smile and nodded his head.  Extending his hand out to him, Justin placed his smaller hand in his as they turned and headed out the front door together and onto the porch. 

 

A few seconds of silence prevailed before Will was the first one to speak.  "That is quite a responsibility to place on his shoulders," he stated.  "Money can do strange things to folks. And not always in a good way."

 

"Brian won't let that happen to him," Sarah vowed.  "He's too level-headed."  Her eyes full of concern, she wondered what the future would hold now.  She had come to love her nephew dearly; she didn't care if he was financially comfortable, or didn't have a penny to his name. But the thought of him leaving left her feeling decidedly sorrowful.

 

"I hope you're right, Missy," Will replied quietly.  He, too, had become fond of their nephew.  Yes, he had helped to fill the void that Dale had left in their hearts, but as they had already explained to him Brian was not a replacement for him. He was his own man, and he had grown up a great deal while under their care.  He was just selfish enough - and cared enough about his nephew - to hopefully be present to see just what sort of man he had yet to become.

 

"Craig, thank you for coming over here.  The decision is up to Brian, but I think he's definitely going to need some help with his inheritance."

 

"I'll do what I can," he told Sarah.  It's not really in my area of expertise, but I do know a couple of attorneys in Lexington that I think are trustworthy as well as reasonable when it comes to their fees. If Brian wants me to, I can contact them and set up consultations with them to see which one he prefers."

 

"Thank you," Sarah responded.  "If you will get their contact information, I'll talk to him about that." 

 

Craig nodded back at her.  "I'll do that."  He peered over at Jennifer.  "I think we'd best be going.  I have a lot of chores to get done today." 

 

Jennifer nodded.  "Yes, we'd best be getting back."  She smiled.  "And feel free to send our son home when he wears out his welcome."

 

Sarah chuckled.  "Your son is welcome here anytime; you know that," she assured her friend.  "Besides," she added softly, "I think he's needed here right now. And I don't think our nephew is wanting him to leave just yet."

 

Craig and Jennifer shared a look before he replied, "No, I reckon not.  Come on, then, Jen; we'd better go."

 

"Thank you both," Will spoke up as Justin's parents nodded.

 

"That's what neighbors do," Craig replied simply; grasping Jennifer's hand, he nodded in farewell before the two headed down the hallway to the back door, finally leaving Will and Sarah alone.

 

"So many things happening, Missy," Will murmured as he gazed out the front living room window, his callused hands jammed in his overall pockets.  He observed his nephew and the Taylor boy sitting in the front porch swing, their bodies pressed close together as they slowly swayed back and forth, their hands clasped between them.  It would have been quite easy for them to realize they were being watched, but at the moment they only had eyes for each other. 

 

"Yes," Sarah agreed as she threaded her arm between her husband's, noticing the two boys who were presently lost in their own world.  She smiled, despite all the turmoil surrounding them.  "They balance each other out," she commented.  "They're good for each other, William." 

 

"I reckon so," Will conceded as he continued to study the two boys.  "Still hard for me to understand it," he conceded gruffly.  "But I can't deny it seems real enough."

 

"It's real, all right," Sarah replied softly, unable to keep her eyes off the two boys.  "Will?"she asked after a brief pause.

 

"Yes?" 

 

"You think Brian will stay?  Now that he doesn't need to?  With all that money, he could go anywhere he wanted to.  He's not really a country boy. Why would he stay here, then?"

 

"Part of the reason is sitting right out there," her husband declared. 

 

Sarah nodded.  "Yes. But Justin will be heading off to school next year."

 

"True," he agreed.  "But maybe you're not giving that boy enough credit."

 

She frowned as she turned to face him.  "What do you mean?" 

 

"People can change, Sarah.  And I think Brian has changed a lot since he came here.  He's done a lot of growing up."

 

Sarah couldn't help smiling, despite some of the sad memories that had been conjured up during the week. 

 

"What are you smiling about, Missy?" Will asked gruffly, noticing the odd look she was giving him.

 

"You," she responded.  "You've changed, too, you know.  And your opinion of our nephew has changed, too, since he first came here."

 

Her husband shrugged as he glanced back out the window at the two boys perched on the porch swing.  "He's earned my respect," he confirmed.  "He may not have been born a country boy, Sarah. But he has the heart of one."  He let out a breath before deciding, "I don't know _what_ he will do." 

 

"But you hope he stays, just like I do."

 

Will slid his arm around his wife's waist.  "Yeah.  Yeah, I suppose I do."  Leaning down to kiss his wife briefly on the cheek, he gently steered her toward the doorway.  "Now come on, Missy.  The chores won't take care of themselves." 

 

Taking one last look at Brian and Justin, she nodded as they turned and headed back down the hallway toward the kitchen. 

 

* * *

 

"I still can't believe it," Brian murmured as the two of them continued to sway slowly back and forth, the swing emitting a creaking noise each time.  In an odd way, Brian found the sound strangely comforting. Since he had come to live here, he had discovered things like that, little things, that he found soothing; even the rooster who used to drive him crazy when he crowed so early in the morning had become a routine part of his life now.  He glanced over at his companion.  "You're awfully quiet."

 

Justin lifted his head to look him in the eyes and tried his best to smile despite the worries flooding his mind and his heart aching.  "You know you could do anything now, Brian; _be_ anything.  Go anywhere you want to go, with that kind of money."  He bit his lip anxiously, too afraid to put his greatest fear into words as he averted his gaze downward, staring at his and Brian's hands twined between them, and feeling the warmth that radiated from the other boy.  It reminded him of the day when they had sat in his family's swing on the back porch, and Brian had kissed him so passionately.  They had shared many kisses since then; all of them amazing.  _Brian_ was amazing, and he knew he was falling deeper in love with him more and more every day.  Was that all about to end, however? His pulse raced as Brian reached over with his other hand to grip his chin and turn his head to make him look him in the eyes.

 

"Yeah, I guess I could," he murmured as Justin's face fell.  "But even if I had all the money in the world, I wouldn't want to go anywhere else."  He slid his hand to the side of Justin's face and caressed his cheek with the back of his hand.

 

Justin's eyes widened; dare he hope?  "You wouldn't?" he whispered. "But you told me yourself; you don't belong here.  You're used to city life.  Speed.  Excitement."  He snorted. "The fair is the most excitement we ever have around here.  Why would you want to stay here, then, in this sleepy town?" 

 

"Justin, don't you get it?" Brian told him in disbelief, his hazel eyes boring into his.  "What did I tell you the other day?  What did YOU tell me the other day?"

 

The blond's face warmed as he recalled their lovemaking - and the confession he had made; that Brian had made.  "I told you that...that I love you." 

 

Brian nodded. "And?"

 

Justin licked his lips nervously.  "...And you told me that you loved me, too."  He would never forget that; not in a million years, no matter where Brian went. 

 

"That's right.  Did you mean what you said?"

 

"Of course I did," was the slightly offended response.  "You know I did. I've never told anyone that I loved them before. You don't think I meant it?"

 

Brian smiled then.  "Yeah, I think you meant it."  Justin blushed.  "Well, I meant it, too.  And that's why I have no intention of leaving here.  Well, that and the fact that I have actually come to respect my aunt and uncle. This isn't an easy life out here; I realize that now. But...it does have its advantages." He stared into the beautiful, expressive, topaz-colored eyes; the eyes that truly were the windows to the other boy's soul. He could read every emotion in them, every hope and dream of his in those eyes.  "Justin, this is where I want to be.  As strange as it sounds, I feel like I was meant to be here.  Like I belong here."  He turned his head to gaze out at the rolling hills surrounding the farm, admiring the grandeur, the simplicity of the landscape, hearing the faraway sound of one of the cows grazing in the pasture, and the distant blowing of a train horn somewhere.  It was so peaceful here, so...pure. Exhilarating in a way to his soul.  He could _breathe_ out here, be himself out here.  And he felt loved; for the first time in his life.  Perhaps that was the greatest treasure of all that he had discovered during his journey here. 

 

He turned his attention back to his companion then, noticing Justin watching him closely as he smiled a little sheepishly, wondering if he should have spoken all that sort of poetic musing aloud. He shook his head.  "No, Justin.  I don't care if I could buy the entire fucking town of Pittsburgh; if my aunt and uncle will have me, I want to stay here.  With them. With _you._ "  He reached over to wipe a lone tear that had silently fallen onto Justin's cheek as he leaned over to brush the other boy's lips with his.  Pulling back slightly, he whispered, "I do love you, Justin Taylor."

 

Justin sucked in a breath as his mouth widened into a relieved smile.  "Brian...I...I do, too." 

 

Brian nodded.  "Let's go for that walk," he suggested as Justin nodded back at him.  "Maybe we can go tip some more cows."

 

Justin's laughter sounded in the air as they headed toward the stables, Brian's arm resting protectively around his waist.

 

* * *

_Fifteen Minutes Later..._

"Do you miss it, Brian?"  The two boys had their arms folded on top of the wooden split rail fence of the paddock as they watched True Blue and Headstrong grazing nearby. 

 

Brian turned his head.  "Miss what?"

 

"The excitement. The faster pace of the city.  The rush you must feel." 

 

Brian half-smiled, his eyes a little far-off looking as he thought about it. "Well, riding the range out here on my uncle's tractor isn't quite the same as racing down an empty road in the dead of night in a ‘vette, that's for sure."  Justin nodded thoughtfully as Brian added, "But that's what got me into trouble in the first place."  He turned to look at his companion as he continued.  "But if I hadn't gotten into trouble, I would have never met my aunt and uncle...and I would have never met _you._ " 

 

Justin blushed, offering Brian a shy smile.  He turned to peer over at True Blue, noticing the horse slowly meandering closer and closer. That was unusual for him, to say the least.  Normally the horse shied from anyone who tried to come into contact with him, barely tolerating being led from the paddock back into the stables, and that was only through the temptation of an apple or some other food.  And then only Vic could normally handle him.  For the horse to voluntarily want to connect with anyone was practically unheard of.  He watched in stunned amazement as the majestic but highly independent animal ambled closer until his head was looming directly over Brian, who didn't seem the least bit bothered by it; on the contrary, he seemed fascinated by the animal. 

 

He watched as Brian reached up to stroke the side of True Blue's muzzle and murmur to him.  "You coming back over to visit me, Boy?" Brian asked as he peered into the luminous, brown eyes.  The horse whinnied softly, but stood completely still as Brian continued to speak to him and lightly rub his hand up and down the horse's neck.  "You're not so tough, are you?"

 

Justin was flabbergasted.  "You...I..." he sputtered in disbelief. "I don't..."

 

Brian laughed.  "I think that's the first time you've been rendered incoherent."   He casually continued to stroke the horse's neck as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  "What?" 

 

Justin shook his head.  "Do you remember when I told you that he never allows anyone near him like this; not since Dale died?

 

Brian nodded as he peered up at the enormous eyes staring back at him.  "Yeah, I remember."

 

"Well, you...he seems so taken with you."  Justin stared in wonder at the surreal scene before him.  "You know, you resemble Dale a lot; maybe he thinks it's him come back to life.  I'm sure he really misses him."

 

"Not you, too," Brian lamented.  "I heard enough of that from dear old Mom and Dad.  They said that's the only reason why my aunt and uncle wanted me here."

 

"Come on! You know what I mean!" Justin growled as Brian nodded; the blond's eyes grew wide when an inspiration hit him.  "Brian, you said you miss the excitement of being in a sportscar, and being able to race down the road at top speed.  We can't compare to that here...but maybe I could come up with the next best thing." 

 

Brian frowned, his heart quickening at the thought.  As much as he had grown fond of living here, the idea of being able to sense that same exhilaration he had felt before was still extremely appealing to him.  "What do you have in mind?"

 

"Something outrageous.  Something probably totally outlandish and impossible. But still..."

 

"Impossible, huh?  Outrageous?" 

 

Justin nodded. 

 

Brian grinned widely then, immediately intrigued.  "Tell me more."


	30. Thrill and Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian finds something exciting in addition to a certain blond...

 

_One Hour Later - Stables..._

Brian wiped the perspiration off his brow as he and Justin finally reached the spot they wanted, allowing them to release the metal contraption down onto the ground near the stables.  Even though the apparatus was fairly lightweight, the day was unusually warm for early summer, and the air was hot and stagnant. "Why did I agree to do this again?" he groused, peering over at the younger boy.  "And why am I sweating like Niagara Falls, while you look fresh as a fucking daisy?"  Feeling like an oven, he unbuttoned his cotton shirt and hurriedly removed it, using it to wipe his brow.  He stopped before he threw it down on the ground as he noticed the look of admiration on Justin's face; if not an outright leer.  He smirked as the blond's eyes immediately averted downward, and an attractive, rosy hue appeared on his cheeks.  He grinned.  _Perhaps there were some perks to being hot after all - in more ways than one_ , he thought.  "Maybe I like being hot after all," he murmured out loud, verbalizing his thoughts as Justin finally lifted his eyes to peer over at him, turning even redder in the face as he realized he had been caught.  "But it still doesn't explain why you apparently don't sweat at all."

 

Justin rolled his eyes then.  "You know that's not true," he stated.  "I just...perspire more slowly," he decided as Brian snorted.  He peered down at their cargo.  "You sure you can fix this?" 

 

Brian huffed in indignation.  "This isn't a prototype of an Apollo rocket," he told his companion.  "It's just needs a wheel." 

 

Justin nodded as he studied the left wheel of what used to be Dale's sulky.  He couldn't help shuddering as he realized he now knew exactly what had happened that day.  It hadn't been some unfortunate twist of fate or an accident that had caused his friend's deadly fall.  No, it had been something much more sinister. Something that not only reminded him of that awful day, but also what happened recently to him at Red Mill. He could have wound up just like Dale instead of temporarily injured if things had been different.

 

"Justin?"  Brian frowned with concern as he noticed the expression on the other boy's face.  He knew precisely what he was thinking about.  "Justin!" he said a little more forcefully, as finally he received an answering look in response.  "Maybe this wasn't such a great idea," he told him.  When Justin had first suggested that he try to learn how to ride a sulky and even attempt to hitch True Blue to it, he had thought at last he might see some sort of excitement here (present company excepted, of course).  But now he wasn't so sure. 

 

Justin shook his head firmly as he forced himself away from his maudlin thoughts.  "No, I'm okay," he assured him, knowing why Brian had just said what he did.  "I'm fine," he added more firmly, as the older boy gave him a skeptical look.  "I'm not sure what kind of tools you're going to need," he stated, trying to steer the conversation somewhere else. "But we can probably find them in the barn." 

 

"You said you had an extra sulky wheel?" Brian asked as he squatted down to examine the frame where the wheel would connect.

 

Justin nodded.  "Yeah. In the barn, up in the loft."

 

"In the loft? Why up there?"

 

Justin shrugged.  "That's where we keep all the stuff that's not needed."

 

Brian nodded.  "You think your father's in the barn? I'm not sure how he's going to react to what we're planning on doing. It's hard to be inconspicuous when you're carrying a wheel around."

 

Justin grinned.  "Yeah, I see your point.  I'll go check."  He was gone a few minutes before he rounded the corner and waved at Brian to follow him. 

 

"Is the coast clear, Sherlock?" he asked as Justin huffed indignantly. 

 

"Come on and quit yacking!" Justin demanded, hands on hips.  "He must be in the house for lunch."

 

"I don't _yack_ ," he complained.  "I'm eloquent." 

 

"Well, get your silver tongue and the rest of your body in the barn, and get the tools!  I'll climb up in the loft for the wheel."    

 

"So bossy," Brian responded as he walked up to Justin and slid his arms around his back, playfully biting the bottom of Justin's earlobe.  "And hot," he whispered in the other boy's ear, feeling him tremble in response.  Reluctantly letting Justin go, he kissed him on the cheek before he nodded his head toward the corner.  "Lead the way, then, Hot Stuff."   Justin grinned, Brian following along behind him as they walked into the barn, the blond pointing out the tools hanging on the far wall.  "Over there," he directed him.  "I'll go get the wheel," he told him, as he turned to head toward the wooden stairs heading to the storage area above. 

 

Brian's mouth hung open as he openly ogled the tight jeans Justin was wearing - and the round but firm ass encased in them.  He swallowed hard as he watched Justin walk over to the ladder and deftly begin to climb upstairs.  His common sense warred with his intense desire as he divided his attention between the ass - and other parts of Justin's body - and the tools hanging up on the far wall before he grinned.  Was there really any choice to make?

 

Walking over to the wheel, Justin bent over to pick it up, only to drop it with a thump onto the wooden floor, his heart thumping furiously as he felt a pair of arms wind around his body as soon as he stood back up.  It could only be one person, he told himself, as he tried to take calming breaths to return his heartrate back to normal.  He had just enough leeway to turn in Brian's arms and peer into his eyes.  "Brian! Shit, you scared me! What are you doing up here?"

 

Brian pulled the other boy closer, his eyes darkening with desire and making Justin's face flush.  "I would think that's pretty obvious. What do you _think_?" he murmured, before he placed his hands on both sides of Justin's face and plundered his mouth, sliding his tongue inside and kissing him with passion but also surprising gentleness before finally breaking off their kiss to stare into the crystal blue eyes. "Justin...Damn, I want you," he whispered huskily in his ear as he nuzzled his neck and jaw with his lips, making Justin shiver.  "Do you know what you fucking do to me?" 

 

Justin sucked in a breath over the thick tone of Brian's voice, full of need and arousal. He could feel Brian's cock, encased in his denim jeans, straining against the fabric, much like his own. He couldn't help the whimper that escaped his lips as Brian brought his knee up between his legs to press it against his crotch suggestively. He was finding it hard to speak.  "Brian...it's broad daylight...and my father...my father could be back any second," he reminded him breathlessly, his own body thrumming with electricity in response to the other boy's ministrations.  He tilted his neck to allow Brian to brush his lips across the sensitive, pale skin.  He placed his hands, palms down, on the other boy's chest, feeling like he was being burned as he gasped at the sensation of Brian's bare, taut skin under his touch.  He groaned with repressed desire.  "Brian...God...You're driving me crazy."  He sighed heavily. "But we can't..."  He bit his lip.  "Not now...He's just now accepting us together. Do you want to risk that?"

 

Brian's lips continued to slide down Justin's neck, winding up nestling in the open ‘V' of his shirt before he finally sighed himself, realizing he was right.  His face lay against Justin's neck a few moments more before he finally lifted his head to peer into his lover's eyes.  "You really know how to spoil a moment," he murmured as Justin half-smiled back at him wistfully.

 

"Later. I promise," he whispered.  "You know I want you as much as you want _me."_

 

Brian nodded.  "Not even time for a quickie?" he asked hopefully.

 

Justin laughed softly.  "No!  Now go before my father finds us up here together and jumps to conclusions."

 

Brian groaned.  "Wish there was a conclusion to jump TO," he lamented. 

 

"Brian..."

 

"Okay, okay, you grab the tire and I'll meet you out back."  He couldn't help impulsively pulling Justin closer to plaster one more kiss on his lips before letting him go; it was short but passionate, leaving Justin with swollen lips and a slightly dazed look on his face.  "But don't take too long." 

 

Justin grinned with a nod as he watched Brian head over to the ladder and begin to descend.  Grabbing the tire that was leaning against the nearest wall, he moved quickly to follow him, holding his breath that his father wouldn't choose this moment to return.

 

* * *

_A few minutes later in back of the stables..._

"Hand me the wrench." 

 

Justin did as Brian asked, watching in rapt attention as the other boy deftly attached the wheel to the back of the sulky before securing it with some bolts, ratcheting the wrench to tighten it up. 

 

"There," Brian commented as he stood up to examine his handiwork, briskly rubbing his dusty hands across the thighs of his jeans to wipe them off.  Dale's former sulky looked to be in remarkably good shape, despite it being years since it had been used.  The tarp that had been covering it had served as a makeshift cocoon, preserving the paint that was surprisingly intact and still vivid.  "Good as new," he added in satisfaction. 

 

Justin squatted down to brush his fingers over the new wheel, checking the bolts to make sure they were fastened tightly.  Convinced they were attached securely, he slowly stood back up, soberly gazing down at the structure that Dale had been riding in when he was thrown onto the ground and killed.  He closed his eyes briefly at the thought.

 

"Justin?"  Brian walked over to slide his arms around the slender body and pull him close against his back.  "You're thinking about him, aren't you?" he asked quietly. 

 

Justin leaned into the taller body as he nodded.  "Yeah...Dale was a really nice guy.  I'm glad my brother didn't have anything to do with his death.  Or my injury.  But why, Brian?  He had to die because of someone's greed?  I will never understand that." 

 

"That's because there is no sense in it," Brian whispered.  "I'm so sorry, Justin."  He slowly turned the other boy around in his arms as he reached to place the fingers of his right hand under Justin's chin.  "But I'm so fucking glad that you're okay."  He leaned down to softly kiss his lips; a kiss that slowly escalated into something more heated.  The sound of True Blue emitting a loud whinny nearby eventually broke them apart, Brian pecking Justin briefly on the lips once more before he asked, "Now...what next? We attach this to him?  Do I whistle and say, "Here, boy, here boy?" 

 

Unexpectedly a furry figure rounded the corner and rushed over to the two boys at the sound of Brian's voice, beginning to yap as Brian scowled with displeasure and Justin laughed.  Brian winced as Solomon jumped up and down excitedly on his hind legs and barked as True Blue turned his large head to merely blink in disinterest.  To his credit, the dog seemed unafraid of him as well, perhaps because the two of them had long become accustomed to each other. 

 

_Or perhaps it's stupidity,_ Brian thought, as he muttered, "Sure. He comes to me NOW.  Any other time and he totally ignores me."  Justin giggled as Brian tried to pull the overeager, barking canine away from him.  "Shoo, dog! Go find a nice, fat rabbit and chase it! I wasn't calling YOU!" 

 

But the dog was undeterred until Justin reached to grab him by the collar and gently pull him away.  "Solomon, down!" he commanded firmly.  "Go home, boy!" he urged, as he gave the dog a pat on the head.  The dog promptly flopped over onto his stomach in obvious invitation to give him a belly rub.

 

"Oh, brother," Brian groused.  "I'M not scratching your furry stomach, you flea-bitten pooch!  Who knows where it's been?" 

 

Justin grinned as he stooped down and obliged the dog by scratching his underbelly for a few seconds.  "That's a good boy," he told him, as he stood up.  "No go on," he coached him gently.  "We have work to do."  The dog stood and peered up at him with his deep brown eyes before he finally appeared to give up, his ears perking up as he heard another dog barking somewhere in the distance.  A few seconds later, his attention was diverted to a movement several yards away, and off he went to do some more exploring.

 

"Thank goodness," Brian muttered.  "Now show me how we get this contraption hooked up to True Blue." 

 

But Justin shook his head.  "Not yet. You need to do some practicing first."

 

"But I thought that's what we were about to do," he pointed out.  "You said we would do some practice racing around the track." 

 

"We will," Justin assured him.  "But not with that.  Not to begin with. That's what the jog cart is for. That's what Vic used to train ME."

 

"A jog cart? What, are you going to jog along beside me while I race around the track? This I have to see." Brian curled his lips under in amusement. 

 

Justin grinned.  "Not exactly.  It's a sulky specifically meant for training purposes, and has room for two drivers, where a racing sulky is only made for one. We'll start out with Headstrong to get you used to it, and then try to hitch up True Blue.  That way, I can give you some pointers as you're riding around the track."

 

"Either that, or you're going to distract the fuck out of me." 

 

Justin boldly reached over to briefly squeeze Brian's crotch area as the brunet gasped.  "Would that be a complaint?" he asked innocently.

 

"Justin!"  Brian reprimanded him.  "Fuck." 

 

Justin grinned. "I didn't think so.  Come on, let's go get the jog cart. We'll also need some helmets."

 

"Yeah. Right. Well, you just keep your hands on the reins and not on my dick, okay?  Uh...until we're done practicing, anyway," he hastily amended. 

 

Justin grabbed his hand. "Come on!" he commanded as he began to tug him toward the side of the stables.  "We've got a lot of work to do." 

 

* * *

_Fifteen Minutes Later..._

Brian had a gigantic smile on his face as he and Justin rode around the track seated side by side; he hated having to wear a helmet, because he would love to feel the wind blowing on his face right now. But just the sheer exhilaration of trotting at top speed around the track was amazing, and set his heart pumping with excitement.  As much as he was growing used to the slower pace of this life he was now leading, he had still missed the rush he felt with speed.  Justin had been right.  _This was fucking fantastic!_   He could feel every movement of the horse in front of him, admiring Headstrong's strength and agility as the animal raced at top speed around the oval. 

 

"Now YOU take the reins," Justin instructed next to him, having to speak up in order to be heard above the rapid _clop-clop-clop_ of Headstrong's hooves while he traveled around the track in a regular, rapid rhythm. 

 

Brian suddenly felt unsure of himself, a feeling he never used to experience before back in the city.  "Are you sure?" he asked tentatively, wondering if somehow the horse would sense a difference in driver.

 

Justin nodded, knowing Headstrong would be accepting, especially as long as he was in the driver's seat as well.  "Yeah...go ahead," he urged him.

 

Brian nodded as he reached with gloved hands to take the well-used, leather reins from Justin's hands.  He could feel every bump and ridge of the dirt track under his ass as he grasped them firmly - the seats were not made for comfort, but for speed - while Justin's horse continued to trot around the track, slowly picking up speed now that he was fully engaged in race mode.  Brian couldn't help smiling again as he realized he was doing it...he was really doing it. And it felt fucking spectacular. 

 

He turned to share his smile with Justin, who grinned back at him, knowing completely how he felt. It was the way HE alwaysfelt whenever he was racing, the wind rushing past him, Headstrong's mane flying in the air with his nostrils flaring as he competed.  It was extremely exhilarating.  Brian wasn't saying anything to him, but his emotions could be read all over his face. Brian had the same passion within him, just as he knew he would.  He watched, entranced, as Brian's eyes lit up with amazement as they raced around the track, his lips pressed closely together in concentration.  Right then, it was as if nothing else existed for him but him and the horse. They were one.  Justin smiled; yes, Brian was in ‘the zone.' 

 

Normally, riders were smaller and more petite than Brian, Justin knew. But he _also_ knew that Brian's lean, lanky, long-legged frame would serve him well as a competitor.  He would be in a different category than he; after all, he had had numerous races by now, and had won a large majority of them. But Brian seemed to have a natural affinity for how to sit on the seat, and how to hold the reins - firmly but not too constrictively. And his horse sensed that. Headstrong would know if someone was tentative or unsure in the driver's seat, even if he WAS sitting next to him.  So far, so good.  But how would True Blue react to him?  How would he react to even having a sulky hitched up to him after all these years?  He knew if Headstrong had been in the same situation, his ears would perk up with excitement and he would restlessly paw the ground in anticipation, yearning to be back out on the racetrack and ‘earning his keep.'  After all, Vic had already told him, _once a racehorse, always a racehorse_.  But was that also true for the willful, domineering horse that Dale had ridden that was now relegated to a much more tranquil spot in the Taylor's paddock and pastures?  They were about to find out. 

 

"Now pull back on the reins," Justin instructed loudly as they neared the stables, deciding that was enough practice with Headstrong.  "Slowly." 

 

Brian nodded, biting his lower lip to focus on his task as he did as Justin asked.  "Do I yell whoa?"

 

Justin grinned. _Brian had been watching too many Westerns_ , he decided.  "No...he knows what you're doing. But you can also call out ‘stop.'  He has been taught to respond more to that."   

 

Brian nodded again, taking a deep breath as he slowly pulled the reins toward his body, gradually increasing the pressure until he observed the horse slowing his gait as they approached the back of the stables.  He called out the ‘stop' command, as, finally, the horse came to a chuffing halt in front of the stables, pawing the ground slightly and breathing heavily as he stood there, waiting for Justin to disengage the sulky from him.

 

Brian, too, let out a deep breath of relief as he pulled the helmet off his head, his hair plastered to his skull with sweat, the adrenalin still pumping through his veins like a wildfire.  "Wow," was all he could say, his own ragged breathing echoing the horse's.  "That was intense! So how'd I do?" he asked curiously as he turned to face his companion.

 

Justin pulled his helmet off and placed it on the floor of the sulky as he turned to smile at Brian smugly with an _I told you so_ sort of look.

 

"What?" Brian prodded with a raising of his eyebrows. 

 

Justin grinned.  "Nothing."  As Brian continued to stare at him, he finally explained, "You have that look."

 

Brian smirked.  "What? That incredibly hot, come fuck me look? I come by it naturally."

 

Justin smacked him on the arm with a laugh as Brian rolled his tongue into his cheek.  "No, you doofus!  It's the same look _I_ have whenever _I'm_ racing.  It's already in your blood, just like me.  You enjoyed that, didn't you?"

 

Brian didn't see any reason to lie to him.  He smiled.  "Yeah, I did. A _lot_.  Thanks," he told him softly, as he leaned over to kiss Justin on the cheek in gratitude.

 

Justin blushed.  "That was the easy part," he told him, as he deftly dropped down onto the ground and waited for Brian to do the same.  "Now comes the challenging part."

 

"You mean getting True Blue hitched up and back on the track."

 

Justin nodded as he walked over and gave Headstrong a couple of companionable pats on his flank before starting to detach him from the sulky.  "Exactly."  He gave his horse an affectionate pat as he loosened the straps and murmured, "There you go, boy," removing the equipment and watching as his horse ambled a few feet away, bending his neck down to poke at a patch of grass.  He was grateful that Headstrong had been so cooperative with him. He figured there wouldn't be a problem with using the jogging cart to help Brian learn how to properly hold the reins and practice around the track.  He slowly led Headstrong over to the connecting pasture area, and closed the gate afterward as the horse ambled over to a patch of clover and began to graze.  True Blue was nearby, oblivious to what was about to occur.  What would be his response?

 

"You're worried about this, aren't you?" was the soft question, as he turned around to see Brian standing next to him. 

 

Justin didn't see any reason to lie, so he nodded his head.  "Somewhat," he admitted.  "It's been a few years since Dale's horse has been hooked up to a sulky.  Vic tried once or twice, just to see how he would react."  He grinned.  "He took off before Vic could even attach the first part of it.  He was lucky the horse didn't kick him in the face, and this is with someone he's relatively calm with."  His expression turned more serious as he explained, "I'm not sure how he's going to react this time.  But we'll have to be very careful, and watch him closely.  If he shows the slightest sign that he's uncomfortable or restless or unhappy with being hooked back up to the sulky, we'll have to forget it.  You realize that, right?"

 

Brian nodded in understanding, biting back the disappointment he would feel if he wasn't able to practice with True Blue.  It had given him an incredible feeling of power and strength to practice with Headstrong, but Justin had been next to him the entire way; this would be completely different. He would be dependent upon only himself and Dale's horse. Would they have the bond that was needed to successfully work together?  He wasn't sure. But he felt something, some sort of inexplicable pull toward this proud, independent animal that in a way reminded him of himself. He couldn't quite explain it - and he knew it wouldn't be as simple as he was making it out to be - but nonetheless he was sure somehow that it would, indeed, work out.  "I'm ready to find out," he told Justin at last with determination.

 

Justin nodded. "Okay, then.  I'm going to go get Vic.  Don't do anything until I get back!" he sternly warned him, not wanting any sort of injury to befall the boy he cared so deeply about. There had been enough mishaps and heartache already; he wasn't sure, too, how Brian's aunt and uncle were going to react if they found out what they were doing. He supposed it was inevitable, but for now it was probably best they not know. Besides, they didn't even know if it was going to work, so there was no point in putting the cart before the horse, so to speak.

 

"What's so funny?" Brian asked curiously, noticing the smile that appeared all of a sudden on his lover's face. 

 

Justin grinned.  "Nothing," he assured him, as he leaned up on his tiptoes and placed his hands on Brian's upper arms to give him a brief kiss.  "I'll be right back.  And you stay put!"

 

"Yes, boss," Brian quipped with a salute as he stayed behind to enjoy the view, watching as Justin walked away to go find Vic.  Justin had assured him that Vic wouldn't say anything for now; he had told Brian he was a little concerned about his own parents' reaction over teaching him to drive.  They would know soon enough if they were successful, anyway, he had told him, so it didn't do any good to worry about it at the moment.

 

* * *

_Ten Minutes Later...Practice Track_

"Let me go first," Vic suggested, as they stood just inside the dirt oval, a wary True Blue watching them from several feet away. He had been led there several minutes ago by the older man from his nearby grazing spot.  "He's used to me, and I sometimes helped Dale with hooking him up to the sulky before his races." 

 

"Good idea," Justin agreed, reaching out to grab Brian by the arm to hold him back as he moved to follow Vic.

 

Brian huffed in protest, thinking his younger lover was coddling him unnecessarily. "Justin..."

 

"Brian, don't you remember what I said? We have to ease into this."  When Brian crossed his arms over his chest in defiance, he added softly, "I don't want you to get hurt, okay?" 

 

Brian glared at him briefly before he sighed, the irritation melting away as he rubbed his face with his hand before agreeing. "Okay." 

 

Justin nodded with a relieved smile as the two of them watched Vic slowly approaching the horse.  Justin chewed on his thumbnail between his teeth, a little apprehensive.  His heart was thumping as he watched Vic speak softly to the horse, who scuffed at the ground with one of his front hoofs.  That could be a sign of agitation, wariness, or restlessness; Justin wasn't sure which. But he knew that Vic was a seasoned handler of horses, and had a bond with True Blue that went back years. If anyone could persuade him to cooperate, it would be him.

 

Brian watched in rapt attention as Vic reached over slowly after several seconds and successfully grasped the side of True Blue's bridle as he murmured reassurances to the horse, carefully turning the animal's head slightly around so he could observe him and Justin.  He didn't realize he was holding his breath until he blew out a burst of air between his lips, feeling Justin grab his wrist as they both watched Vic and the horse approaching.  "This is it," he heard Justin say beside him as Vic and True Blue came closer and closer.  The horse's sheer power and strength were clearly evident as his muscles rippled while he walked; he finally stood a few feet away from them, towering over even Brian who was taller than any of the three.  The horse's voluminous, dark eyes peered over at both boys curiously, Brian meeting his stare unflinchingly. But inside his heart was pounding both with excitement as well as a little anxiety.  He had been within close proximity to the horse before and hadn't felt afraid, but there had been a fence separating them then. Would True Blue be totally different with him now?  He had certainly heard enough stories about his strength and willful temperament by now to be at least a little cautious. 

 

Vic stood a few feet away, still clutching True Blue's bridle as the horse continued to eye both boys intently as if he were sizing them up. 

 

"Why does he look like he wants us for lunch?" Brian replied a little apprehensively. Now that they were standing so close to him, the horse's sheer size was a little overwhelming. 

 

"You can still back out," Justin reminded him, but Brian firmly shook his head. 

 

"No way. I'm in this for the long haul," he vowed. 

 

Justin nodded as Vic told Brian, "This is where we find out how comfortable he feels with you, Brian.  Walk over slowly to the side of him.  We'll see what his reaction is. But no sudden moves!  We don't want to spook him.  And don't walk behind him; he doesn't like that."

 

"No worries there," Brian promised, not wanting to have an eye missing if he took a misstep; he did as Vic directed, walking slowly toward the horse as he explained, "I'm not going anywhere near those back hoofs, trust me.  Easy, boy," he crooned soothingly as he crept closer and closer to him, until he was standing to the horse's immediate left.  "That's it," Brian continued.  "Good boy.  Everything's going to be okay."  He turned to Vic.  "Hand me the harness," he asked; Vic hesitated for a moment before he held it out to him. Justin had gone over the proper procedure to use when hitching up True Blue to the sulky, starting with slipping the harness around the horse's belly, and attaching it underneath.  The well-worn leather apparatus - one of Justin's spares for his own horse - felt slippery in Brian's sweaty hands as he held it out in front of him.  It was one thing to speak to this impressive horse from the relative confines of a fence separating them; it was quite another for the horse to trust him enough to allow him to slip a harness over him without any barrier between them. 

 

"Brian..." Justin began, a little fearful as True Blue began to paw the ground impatiently.  He was beginning to regret suggesting this, but Brian had been eager to try it, and he had seemed bonded somehow with Dale's horse before.  He liked to think he had a good intuition when it came to things like this, but there was always a first time to be wrong.  He just didn't want Brian's physical wellbeing to be the target.  "Be careful."

 

"It's okay," Brian replied; Justin wasn't sure if he was speaking to him or the horse.  He watched as Brian held the harness in his hand for a moment longer, continuing to talk quietly to True Blue, until he smoothly hefted it up and over the horse's back.  True Blue shuffled slightly as it slapped against his body - his back protected by a blanket to prevent chafing or irritation - before the harness settled in place, the buckles hanging loosely on either side. 

 

_So far, so good_ , Justin thought as he and Vic exchanged a meaningful glance between them; no doubt the older man was thinking the same thing as he.  Vic had often commented what a shame it was that such a majestic animal like True Blue had been relegated to living out the rest of his years grazing mindlessly in a pasture, instead of working off some nervous energy in a race.  True Blue used to live for the weekends when Dale was alive; he would practically hook himself up to the sulky as soon as Dale led him over to it.  The horse instantly knew it was race day, and was as excited about it as Dale had been.  When Dale had died, it was as if the light and drive had gone out of True Blue, also.  Would Brian be the one who helped to bring the spark back to this magnificent creature?

 

"Easy, boy," Vic urged the horse as the animal turned his broad head to stare over at him. Vic peered back at him unafraid; at least, outwardly. He knew it was important to not show any obvious fear, or True Blue would immediately pick up on it.  "Brian...see if you can reach over and attach the buckles underneath him," Vic told him.  "But stay to the side of him, and remember; do not make any abrupt or sudden movements."

 

Brian nodded, his heart in his throat, as he reached over to grab one of the buckles, thinking mentally of the instructions Justin had given him earlier when they had been practicing with Headstrong.  "That's good, boy," he quietly praised the horse as he connected a buckle; two more to go now.  "Yes. That's it," Brian murmured soothingly as he reached over with slightly trembling hands to attach the second buckle, stopping momentarily as the horse shifted beside him.  "You know I won't hurt you," he told him softly as he patted the horse's side lightly in a comforting gesture.  He reached over then to successfully attach the last buckle underneath the horse's belly before letting out a relieved breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.  He smiled in triumph.  "Good boy," he praised True Blue, his voice gentle and soothing.  "I knew you could do it.   We're going to do some _flying_ now," he told him, wondering if True Blue knew what he was trying to say. Somehow, he suspected that he did.  He exchanged a grin of triumph with Vic and Justin as they nodded back at him encouragingly; both were surprised in a way by how cooperative Dale's horse was being, but in a way they also weren't surprised at all. There was something about Brian that spoke to this proud stallion; something that neither of them seemed to possess. Whether it was a physical similarity to Dale or what, all they knew was that Brian was accomplishing something that no one else had been able to do since his cousin had died. 

 

"Amazing," Justin commented, shaking his head in awe.  "Now we need to see how he's going to react to being hitched to the sulky.  You stay with him while Vic and I pull the sulky over.  Just keep alert, though, okay?"  He was still a little concerned over how unpredictable the horse could be. So far, he seemed to be accepting whatever Brian was doing. But would it last? The final piece of the puzzle was about to be set into place that would answer that all-important question. 

 

Brian nodded, reaching over to lightly hold onto the bridle as he watched Vic and Justin walk over to the sulky; Dale's sulky - at the time one of the most innovative models - was mainly constructed of aluminum, making it fairly easy mobile.  As Justin and Vic picked up the end of the sulky and began to wheel it toward Brian and True Blue, something magical happened: The horse began to back up, straight toward the sulky.

 

"Holy shit," Vic whispered as the horse continued to back up, just like he used to do for Dale whenever he was about to race or practice.  It had been some time since True Blue had done either, but he had obviously not forgotten what to do.  "Would you look at that!" he exclaimed softly.  He and Justin stood to either side of the sulky, continuing to hold onto the two ends of the apparatus' front as the horse approached - until True Blue was standing between the two posts.  Before Dale's horse changed his mind, the two quickly attached the two ends of the sulky to the side of the harness; at last - after so long - Dale's horse was standing there, looking ready to run. The sight caused Justin's heart to thump wildly in his chest; he never in a million years thought he would ever see this again with Dale gone.  Just then, he noticed the horse turn his huge head to peer over at Brian as if to say, _What are you WAITING for?_

Brian looked over at Justin, who nodded.  Slowly walking around True Blue - and giving him plenty of maneuvering room just in case - he hesitated for only a second before he deftly swung himself up into the sulky seat, feeling the cool, hard seat under him.  The seat almost seemed to be fitted perfectly to his form as he sat there, his adrenalin pumping in anticipation.  Justin picked up the reins and handed them to Brian wordlessly, knowing exactly how the older boy must feel. He was certain it was quite similar to how _he_ had felt the first time he had practiced with Headstrong.  As he looked at Brian sitting there, though, for just a moment he could almost imagine that it was Dale, ready to square off with him once more at Red Mill or one of the other venues.  Sadly, that would never happen again. But the look of exhilaration on Brian's face made him smile still the same.

 

"You look like you belong up there," Justin told him with a smile of his own.  He reached to pick up one of his spare helmets lying on the ground nearby.  "Put this on," he told him; the no-nonsense tone of his voice told the other boy that he'd better do as he said, even though he would have preferred not to have it on. But the remembrance of what had happened to Justin - and to his own cousin - made him obey anyway as he pulled it down over his head and attached the chin strap underneath.  Justin grinned in satisfaction as Brian rolled his eyes at him. 

 

"Now what?" Brian asked as he held the reins lightly in his hands.  True Blue began to paw the dirt track restlessly, becoming slightly agitated as he waited to move.  It was as if all his pent-up energy was coming to the surface, now that he was back where he belonged. 

 

"Remember what I showed you with Headstrong," Justin called out to him as he walked over to where his own horse was already tethered to his sulky.  Justin had decided it would be better if he were to accompany Brian around the track, not only to keep a watchful eye on him, but to also provide True Blue with some sense of routine.  He and Dale had often found themselves neck to neck at races; that is, until he managed to pull away from him at the last stretch.  He hoped that True Blue would recall those times, and perhaps be inspired by them today.  "Let me go first," he suggested as Brian nodded, anxious to get started but realizing the wisdom of Justin's words.

 

"True Blue knows what to do," Justin told him.  "Just give him the signal and pull on the lead; he'll do the rest."  Brian nodded, his pulse racing, as he watched Justin walk over and jump into the driver's seat. Nodding over at Brian, he told him, "I'm going to start out slow. Give me a few lengths, and then try and follow me, okay?" 

 

Brian nodded back at him as Vic watched from nearby in fascination, unsure exactly what was going to happen. But he couldn't wait to see if Brian succeeded in bringing True Blue back to life. 

 

Justin pulled his helmet down over his head before picking the reins up and giving Headstrong the signal to move as the horse began to trot away from the others, making sure it was a slow trot to hopefully provide Brian with enough time to catch up. 

 

_It's now or never,_ Brian thought as he looked down at the leather in his hands.  He waited a few seconds, took a deep breath as he glanced over at Vic, who gave him a ‘thumbs up' sign, and then imitated what Justin had done, jiggling the reins a couple of times before letting forth with a "Gee-up!" sort of sound.  Before he knew what was happening the sulky vibrated slightly and then he was off.  He had to shift his balance momentarily on the seat as the horse quickly moved away from the starting point, his legs trotting in the old, familiar cadence he had engaged in so many times before with Dale. 

 

Brian's mouth hung open when he felt the wind slapping against his face as True Blue snorted and accelerated even more, his legs now pounding the dirt surface as his mane flew out behind him.  "Holy shit," he murmured to himself in wonderment as he held on for dear life. It hadn't looked so hard when he had been a spectator and had watched Justin doing it, but now he understood how rigorous it was - and how incredibly mind-blowing it was, too.  His face broke out into an enormous smile as the rush of adrenalin flowed through him, much like he had felt back when he had been a more reckless sort of racer.  The horse under his control - this magnificent, proud, black stallion - made him feel both vulnerable as well as powerful.  It was a heady feeling. 

 

Justin twisted his head around as he heard the familiar pounding of hooves behind him, stunned to see that not only was Brian driving True Blue around the track just as he had hoped, but he was almost caught up to him - and True Blue was trotting at breakneck speed, as if he had been doing this weekly since Dale had died, instead of grazing placidly in the pasture.  He gaped in astonishment as Brian's sulky quickly gained on him until they were side by side on the track.  At that moment, he wasn't sure which one was more pleased with himself - the horse or Brian.  He knew that Brian would love racing. But how could he have been so blind when it came to True Blue?  Someone like him - who had practically been born to race, and was only in his element when he was pounding down the track at breakneck speed - could never have been happy being relegated to being some passive, grazing animal, literally put out to pasture to do nothing but stand there.  Racing had been the only thing he had known, and he could only be happy when he was in the middle of the action.  No wonder he had been so surly and combative.  He had only been waiting for the right opportunity - and the right person - to remind him of what he used to be. 

 

"This is fucking incredible!" Brian shouted at him as their horses trotted together. 

 

Justin smiled, knowing exactly how he felt.  "You were born to be a driver!" he complimented him as True Blue began to pull away from him. 

 

Brian held tightly to the reins as True Blue seemed to be reaching his stride, his powerful legs trotting at an almost impossible speed as he picked up his pace even further.  He clutched the reins so firmly his knuckles were white, his face tightened in concentration.  "What do I do?" he shouted over to Justin.  "Should I slow him down?" He was concerned that perhaps the horse was overexerting himself, especially after not having been on the track in so long.

 

But Justin shook his head, able to tell that True Blue was in ‘the zone.'  He was relishing every trot, every sound, and every smell. It was as if both he - and Brian - had roared back to life.  "No, let him go!" he shouted over at him, struggling to be heard above the pounding of both horses' hooves.  "He knows what to do!  Just hold on!" 

 

Brian nodded, a big smile on his face.  "You're falling behind!" he razzed him; as if Justin didn't know.

 

"Don't remind me!" he retorted good-naturedly, stunned that Brian could be beating him the first time he was driving a sulky on his own. It was as if he had been doing it for years; his body naturally flowed with the apparatus, leaning exactly when he needed to and maintaining the perfect posture required in order to get the greatest speed and least amount of wind resistance to stay ahead of him.  Racing with a sulky required the driver and horse to almost become one, and Brian seemed to be a natural at it.  It had taken Justin months to learn what Brian seemed to know instinctively.

 

He maintained a steady pace as he watched Brian continue around the track in front of him with True Blue's hooves pounding against the dirt track, the muscles rippling underneath his coat, which shone under the early summer sun.  He couldn't help smiling at the sight - two, proud males having the time of their lives.  They were made for each other; why hadn't he thought of this before? 

 

As previously agreed upon, after Brian had circled around the track four times, he reluctantly pulled up on the reins and issued a low ‘whoa, there, boy,' as True Blue slowed down and eventually came to a halt in back of the stables near the gate.  It took Justin several more seconds before he, too, instructed Headstrong to pull up behind the other sulky and slow down to a stop.  Both boys sat there on top of their respective sulkies for several seconds catching their breaths, before Brian pulled off his helmet and threw it down onto the ground in jubilation.  "That...was one hell of a ride!" he exclaimed as Justin, too, pulled his helmet off, cradling it in his lap as he peered over at the other boy and grinned.  "I should have done that a long time ago!  Holy fucking shit!" 

 

Justin laughed.  "Yep. It's in your blood. Must be because you're related to Dale. I feel like you were doing a little channeling out there."  He shook his head incredulously.  "You were amazing out there, Brian!" 

 

"What a rush!" Brian replied with a smile.  He hopped down from the seat and walked up to True Blue, who was panting from exertion.  "You did awesome, boy," he crooned to the horse, who turned his head slightly to peer back at him, his luminous, giant eyes blinking slowly back at him.  He neighed softly at Brian, who grinned.  "We make a good team, don't we?" 

 

Justin jumped down from his sulky to walk over to him.  "He needed to feel useful again," he told Brian.  "I think that's why he's been so restless and agitated.  He was never used to being a pasture horse, and he never will be."  He stroked the horse's side, sensing how much more calm the horse was now, even after one practice.  At that moment, he decided that he had done the right thing - for both Brian and for the horse.  "We need to get him and Headstrong cooled down now," he told Brian as he reached to unsnap the first buckle under the horse's belly.  "Uh...maybe _you'd_ better do that," he hastily decided, as True Blue began to paw the ground impatiently.  "He might be calmer right now, but he can still be ornery." 

 

Brian chuckled as he reached over to deftly undo each of the buckles underneath the horse's belly. He smirked at Justin, who rolled his eyes in reaction, before the two boys pulled the sulky away to separate it from True Blue.  The procedure was then repeated for Headstrong, as they left both sulkies lying next to the stable's rear exterior wall. 

 

Justin shook his head in awe. How does Brian do it?  How does he become such a miracle worker? He recalled, though, that True Blue was much the same way with Dale. Dale could get him to do far more than anyone else ever could.  Did the horse somehow think that Dale had come back to life in the form of Brian?  He mentally shrugged; whatever the reason, there was no disputing the fact that Brian had an incredible control over him; much more so than the rest of them did. 

 

"When can I take him out again?  Or are you afraid we'll beat your ass again?"  Brian's adrenalin was still pumping; he had missed that rush, that thrill that always shot through him when he was pushing his physical limits, and this was no different.  As much as he had gotten used to living here - and as much as he actually enjoyed some aspects of it - he had still missed this feeling.  He hadn't really realized just how much until now.

 

Justin laughed.  "You DO have it bad, don't you? And now you're getting cocky on top of that."  He received a roll of the lips from Brian and a sort of ‘little boy' smile as he explained, "He'll need to get some rest and a cool down; but something tells me he'll be raring to go out again tomorrow.  He was like a totally different horse out there; more like he used to be." 

 

Brian nodded, walking closer to the younger boy as he whispered against his cheek, "Yeah, I'm _definitely_ feeling cocky. And horny. You look so hot in those tight jeans."  He received the expected blush from Justin as he nuzzled the side of his neck with his lips, dying to peel those tight, black jeans off his companion. 

 

"Brian," Justin murmured, feeling desire rushing through him.  "We can't...not right now. Besides, I'm all sweaty and sticky."  He wrinkled his nose; he didn't particularly feel very ‘hot' at the moment; at least not in the way Brian meant.

 

"Well, I'm sweaty and sticky, too," Brian told him, his voice dropping lower and thick with lust.  "I think this calls for a visit to the swimming hole so we can cool ourselves off, too...don't you?"

 

Justin groaned at the thought; that was where he and Brian had first spoken at length - and had sex - so it would forever remain ingrained in his memory, no matter how far away he was, or how long ago it might have occurred.  "Brian...the horses have to be cooled off right away.  If you don't properly take care of them, they could wind up..." He gasped as Brian's hand gave a firm squeeze to his burgeoning hard-on before gripping the sides of his waist with his long-fingered hands and covering Justin's lips with his own, unable to no longer restrain himself from kissing him.  God, he was like some drug he was addicted to. And he never wanted to find a cure for it, either.

 

The impatient-sounding whinny of one of the horses broke them apart several seconds later as Justin reluctantly pulled himself out of Brian's embrace.  "We really need to get them back to the stables," he reminded him, breathless from their kiss.  His chest rose and fell rapidly, his heart pounding furiously. 

 

"I think Vic would be more than happy to take care of that," Brian ventured. The older man had returned to his chores while they had been practicing.  "Come on.  I think a nice, long swim - preceded by a nice, long fuck - would do wonders for us.  Don't you?"  He curled his lips under and grinned as he reached out to stroke Justin's cheek with the back of his hand.  He could see Justin's look of indecision on his face.  "I'll go get him, and ask him to take the horses back to the stable and give them a cool down - so WE can get a cool-down after some hot sex.  Okay?" 

 

Justin flushed; sex with Brian was _always_ hot.  His cock stirred at the thought. "You're very persuasive," he decided as Brian smiled in triumph, knowing he had him where he wanted him.  Justin nodded as Brian grinned, immediately rushing around the stables in search of the older man. 

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, Vic appeared, along with Emmett, who had a sort of shit-eating grin on his face.

 

"What?" Justin pressed him, wondering what was going on.

 

"Looks like you might have some competition," Emmett chirped. 

 

"Huh?" 

 

"Brian," Vic piped up in explanation as he shook his head in awe.  "We watched the two of you out on the track.  I had to look twice to make sure I wasn't imagining things." He peered over at the familiar, blue object.  "You managed to fix up Dale's old sulky to almost as good as new," he commented as he looked at Brian.  "You do that by yourself?" 

 

Brian nodded.  "It wasn't that hard. Just needed some bolts and a new wheel. It's a spare of Justin's."

 

Vic nodded back at him, admiring his handiwork.  He squinted over at Brian, who had his back against the garishness of the mid-day sun.  "You looked like a seasoned driver out there," he commented.  "Did you enjoy it?" 

 

Brian's face broke out into a broad grin. "What do YOU think?"

 

Emmett interjected, " _I_ think your aunt and uncle are going to shit if they see you out there practicing, especially using Dale's sulky." 

 

Brian sighed, his face sobering at the thought.  "I know.  Justin and I talked about that.  But I'm not Dale. And nothing's going to happen to me," he promised. 

 

Vic eyed him patiently.  "You don't know that, Son."  Brian moved to open his mouth in protest before Vic held up his hand to stop him.  "But I watched you out there. And if you're half as good on the racetrack as you were out there, then I reckon you can handle pretty much anything that's thrown your way." 

 

"You looked in control out there!" Emmett agreed enthusiastically.  He eyed the huge beast.   "Anyone who can ride _that_ animal has to be a miracle worker."  He jumped slightly as True Blue chose just that moment to whinny as if he knew Emmett were insulting him, making the others laugh.

 

"Next time you'd better say that out of earshot," Vic replied with a grin.  

 

"Vic...you said _on the racetrack_ before," Brian pointed out as Vic nodded.  "Do you mean that you think...that I could actually race?  Like Justin does?"  He looked over at the younger boy for an answer.

 

Justin and Vic exchanged a look as if they were communicating silently before Justin gave a nod; it was so slight that most people wouldn't have even noticed it, but Vic did.  "Yeah...I do," Vic told Brian.  "I don't know why True Blue is different around you.  Maybe it's because of your physical resemblance to Dale.  I don't know. But for whatever reason that horse seems to trust you.  And he seems to want to please you. That sort of bond is needed between the driver and the horse in order to really be successful at the track. And the two of you have it.  So, yes. If that's something you'd like to pursue, I think it's very possible you could be successful.  Of course, you and Justin wouldn't be competing against each other."

 

Brian frowned, disappointed.  "Why not?  You said you saw me out there! I was beating him!" 

 

Vic nodded.  "Yeah, I noticed," he replied with respect. It took a lot for someone to best Justin, and he knew the younger boy well enough to know he hadn't been going easy on Brian; Brian had beat him fair and square.  It was something very few had ever done.  "But drivers are placed in heats based upon their experience, and on their record. So no matter _how_ good you might be, you would need to prove yourself before you would be competing alongside our resident ace here." 

 

Justin blushed in response as Brian nodded.  "Well, I'd like to try it," he decided. "That was a fucking rush!" 

 

"Not to mention, you would no doubt fill out a riding outfit quite..." Emmett struggled for the right word before settling on, "...nicely." 

 

Brian's face soured with horror. "Oh, shit, I look horrible in lime green and silk!"

 

Justin burst out laughing.  "Don't worry; there're other colors and fabrics."  He paused as he admired Brian's tall, slim form.  "I agree with Emmett, though. I think you would look magnificent all decked out in uniform." 

 

Brian openly leered at him as asked, "Oh, you do, do you? So you like a man in uniform?" 

 

Justin's face turned red as he nodded. 

 

"Well, that might be worth racing just for that," he murmured as Vic cleared his throat to get his attention.  "Yes, Vic?  You wanted something?"

 

Emmett giggled, his eyes twinkling as he addressed Justin.  "You and big, tall, and delicious there can go get cooled off, Baby, and we'll take care of the horses." 

 

"Thanks, Em," he murmured gratefully as Brian snorted over the other boy's description of him.  He reached over to grab Brian's wrist.  "Come on, Brian, before they change their minds." 

 

"Oh, don't worry; I'm coming," he assured him with a wink as Justin blushed again, silently scolding himself for how easily Brian could do that to him.  Before Vic and Emmett could change their minds, the two boys hurried off in the direction of the swimming hole.

 

Emmett stared after them a little wistfully.  "So lucky," he murmured softly.

 

Vic peered over at him.  "You mean Brian?  I think that was more than luck." 

 

Em gave his uncle an odd look until he shook his head. "No. I don't mean his racing ability."  He paused as he watched the two boys heading toward the thicket of woods that led toward the swimming hole, Brian's arm slung companionably over Justin's shoulders. "They're _both_ lucky.  It's obvious how much in love they are. I just hope that one day I will find someone to love like that, too." 

 

Vic squeezed his nephew's shoulder.  "You will," he assured him with a kind smile.  "I'm sure of it."  Emmett gave him a grateful look in return as Vic added, "Come on. Let's get these horses back to the stables." 

 

Emmett nodded, casting one last look at Brian and Justin until he turned and followed Vic over to the two horses, grasping Headstrong's bridle as Vic took hold of True Blue's.  Slowly, the two men began to walk the duo back to the stables

.

* * *

 

"I can't believe it."

 

Justin peered over at him curiously.  "Can't believe _what?_ That you forgot to bring your shirt with you?"

 

Brian smirked.  "No, that was intentional. I figured I wouldn't be wearing it for very long, anyway, so why bother?"

 

Justin shook his head in amusement, but he knew Brian was right; he wasn't interested in him putting any more clothes on; he was more interested in taking the rest of his clothes _off._ "Then what?" he asked, not bothering to dispute Brian's statement.

 

"I can't believe that I whipped the Great Justin Taylor's ass out on the racetrack." 

 

Justin snorted.  "Well, it wasn't exactly a race TRACK.  At least you called my ass _great,_ though _._ " 

 

Brian grinned as his eyes swept downward; he made a show of twisting his body so he could peer behind Justin as he agreed, "It IS great."  He leaned closer and whispered in the younger boy's ear, "...And I can't wait to fuck it...after I take my tongue and push it so deep inside you you're going to be screaming out my name, again and again.." 

 

Justin turned beet red.  "Brian..."  His lover had never talked dirty to him that way, but he found it a major turn on.  He whispered back, his voice sultry and seductive, "Maybe it'll be the other way around.  A consolation prize." 

 

The two boys stopped in their tracks by the farmhouse as Brian gaped at him in indignation.  "Consolation prize?  I don't think so.  But if you're a good little boy, I might let you indulge anyway." 

 

Justin grinned.  "Oh, you will, all right, when I get done with you."

 

"If you don't drown me first.  I remember the FIRST time we met in the swimming hole. You were trying to kill me!"

 

Justin laughed.  "I was not!  I was trying to get away from you."

 

Brian grinned.  "Well, you didn't try hard enough.  I'm still here." 

 

"Yes you are," he replied.  "And I'm so glad that you are," Justin murmured, the expression on his face dissolving into something tenderer.  "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here, Brian."

 

Brian smiled.  "And I feel the same way.  You've made something that could have been torturous and fucking boring into anything but."   He pulled Justin closer, intending on kissing him, when they heard someone nearby clearing their throat.  Turning around, both boys were stunned to see who was there. 

 

"Hi, Justin," their visitor greeted them hesitantly, shuffling his feet nervously as he studied Brian beside the other boy; he watched as Brian took his hand and wound it around Justin's waist in a protective sort of gesture.  Of course, he didn't need to know how Brian felt; he had overheard most of what they had said, and their mutual expressions were obviously those of two people very much attracted to each other. 

 

Justin studied their unexpected visitor warily before replying quietly, "Hello, Jared." 


	31. Shot in the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy arrives to provide an update regarding Dale's death and Justin's injuries; will Jared and Justin reconcile or remain apart? I'm going to apologize beforehand for the cliffhanger, but I promise to explain it right away in the next chapter.;)

 

 

Jared's hair was longer than Justin remembered as he stood there staring at his older brother.  In some ways it felt familiar being around him again, maybe even comforting; in other ways, however, it seemed odd and awkward.  He felt Brian's hand tighten around his waist, but otherwise Brian remained silent as Justin asked, "What are you doing here?"

 

The normal cockiness that would be evident in Jared's stance wasn't there as he stood with hands jammed into his jean pockets; Justin recognized his brother's shirt as - ironically enough - one that he had purchased for him as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago. He wondered briefly if his choice to wear it was a coincidence or intentional. 

 

"I came with the sheriff," was the surprising reply. 

 

Justin and Brian glanced over at the back of the house; sure enough, Billy's somewhat beat-up police car was parked by the rear gate.  "What is the sheriff doing here?" Justin asked him.  Lately any time the sheriff was involved, it was normally not a good thing.

 

"He came to talk to our parents about your...accident," he explained, stumbling over the last word.  He still couldn't help feeling at least partially responsible for what had happened, even though he wasn't aware of what Doug had been planning. "...And to let them know what's going to happen to Doug." 

 

"What IS going to happen to Doug?" Brian asked then, his jaw set in a hard line.  He still didn't trust Jared; he had a suspicion he would _never_ trust him, not after the way he had treated Justin. 

 

"I'm not sure," Jared admitted. "The sheriff wanted to wait until you were around, so he didn't have to repeat what he was going to say."

 

The two boys exchanged a look before Brian asked tersely, "What about my aunt and uncle?  It's not just Justin's injuries; that fucker was responsible for my cousin's death, too, remember?" 

 

"I remember," Jared answered defensively.  "How could I forget?"

 

"You _shouldn't_ forget!" Brian snapped, as he pulled Justin a little closer.  "You helped to get your own brother almost killed!"

 

"Don't you think I know that?" Jared brushed his right hand through his hair in agitation as he peered over at his brother.  "I never wanted you to get hurt, Justin!  And I never knew _anything_ about Dale - or Doug's involvement in his death or your accident - until he told me himself.  And it made me sick to my stomach."  He paused for a moment before he asked, "Surely you believe that."

 

"Why should he believe anything you say, Jared?" Brian retorted.  "You haven't exactly been the loving brother lately."

 

"Brian..." Justin pleaded as he placed his palm against the older boy's chest to try and sooth him.  "Please...Let it go. Let's go see what the sheriff has to say."

 

The older boy sighed, but did as Justin asked.  "Okay," he grumbled.  His eyes bored into Jared's for a few seconds to show him he meant business before he gently steered Justin toward the back of the house, not bothering to look behind them to see if Jared was following or not.

 

* * *

 

As they approached the house, they observed everyone gathered outside on the porch; partly, no doubt, to stay cooler under the branches of the century-old oak tree that provided ample shade for the backyard throughout most of the day.  The inside of the house wasn't air-conditioned, so apart from using window fans or keeping the windows raised, it was normally cooler to stay out on the back porch.

 

They noticed that Brian's aunt and uncle were there as well, sitting in the Taylors' swing at the end of the porch; Justin's parents were sitting in a wicker settee at the other end, with Billy leaning against the railing; a pitcher of lemonade was sitting on the matching wicker table in front of his parents.  Everyone turned to peer over at the two boys as they approached, observing Jared following from several feet away.

 

No one spoke until they unlatched the back gate and walked up the steps to the porch to join them, leaning against the railing.

 

"Justin...Brian," Billy greeted them as they stood facing him.  "I see Jared found you."

 

Justin didn't know what else to do but nod as Brian stood beside him; his presence served to calm him at the moment as he looked around at the anxious faces surrounding him.  "What's going on?" He asked nervously as Jared shuffled up the walkway, stopping at the bottom of the steps, uncertain of what to do or where to go.  He felt much like a pariah at the moment; caught between the life he used to have, and the one he was now forced to endure. 

 

Billy pushed his official sheriff's cap higher on his head as he explained, "I wanted to wait until everyone was all here before I updated you on what's going on - and what we have found out so far."  He peered over at Will and Sarah as he advised them, "The Kesterson boy has been fairly cooperative. He has agreed in writing to testify against the men who were responsible for your son's death in exchange for a lesser prison sentence."

 

Will's jaw twitched; it was hard for him to accept any type of concession where this other boy was concerned.  "The Lord has taught me not to be a vengeful man," he told Billy quietly.  "But I still want him to pay for his part in our son's death," he continued, his voice hard as steel.  "My boy's life meant something; I don't want him to be forgotten."

 

Sarah reached for her husband's hand in reaction as she assured him softly, "You know that won't happen, Will; not as long as he remains in our hearts."

 

"That's well and good, Missy," Will responded, his lips pressed tightly together.  Even though he believed in God, Sarah always _had_ been the more faithful one.  "Maybe vengeance is wrong, but I still want justice for my boy.  Don't you?" he asked, turning to look at her.

 

Billy cleared his throat to get their attention.  "Justice _will_ be served," he told them.  "The Kesterson boy has given us names and dates and details; enough information that we were able to identify several of the men who were involved with your son's death, as well as Justin's injuries.  Because of his cooperation, we've been able to round up almost all of the gambling cartel that had been operating behind the scenes at several race tracks throughout the State.  I'm confident that with his testimony - and with some of the information we are starting to obtain from the men we have in custody -we will be successful in getting a full conviction."  Billy's voice softened as he added, "I know nothing will ever bring your boy back.  But at least you will finally get a little vindication for your son's death.  I promise both of you that." 

 

Will stared unflinchingly into the sheriff's eyes before finally nodding.  He had known Billy long enough to believe he was both an honorable and a truthful man; if he assured him that the men behind their son's death would be brought to justice and properly punished, then he had to have faith that Billy would do as he promised.  "I'm going to hold you to that," he replied tersely, tightly gripping his wife's hand. 

 

Billy nodded back at him.  "I will do right by your boy, Will," he promised.

 

"So what's next?" Craig asked from his place on the settee. 

 

"After we're done questioning everyone we rounded up, they will be arraigned...and possibly offered bond."

 

"Bond?  Are you out of your mind, Billy!  Those men are at the very least indirectly responsible for my son's injuries at Red Mill!  He could have gotten killed.  Not to mention what happened to the Walker boy!"  Craig peered over at Will and Sarah then; they were no doubt thinking the same thing.  He shuddered at the thought of almost losing Justin.  Glancing over at his youngest son standing next to Will and Sarah's nephew, he noted how lately he and Brian seemed to be almost joined at the hip. Normally by the time there was a second child a parent would become more flexible and less protective of them, and willing for them to take more chances.  But somehow with Justin he found himself worrying about him even more than he had with Jared, despite his older son's penchant for getting into trouble.  While Justin was quite independent at times, there was also something vulnerable about him.  He suspected, however, that the Kinney boy would be hovering closely nearby for at least the next several weeks; in a way, he found that comforting.  It offered one more layer of protection for him.

 

Something suddenly occurred to Craig as he turned his attention away from his son to ask the sheriff, "Billy, you said earlier that _almost_ all of the men responsible for Dale's death and my son's injuries had been apprehended." 

 

Billy nodded, sensing what was coming next.  "That's right.  Six of them in all, in addition to the Kesterson boy."

 

Craig nodded.  "So there are still some others out there somewhere."  It was more of a statement than a question. 

 

"Well...that's one of the reasons why I wanted to come out here personally to talk to all of you."  He paused, appearing uncomfortable, but it was part of his job.  "There's actually only one that we're aware of that is missing at the moment - someone by the name of Marty McComb...the one purported to be the ringleader." 

 

There was an audible gasp from both mothers.  No one liked the sound of that, perhaps least of all Brian, who had been quiet up until now.  "The ringleader?" he repeated.  "You're saying that the one - the chief person who planned Dale's death and was responsible for Justin's injuries - is still on the run?" 

 

Billy nodded in confirmation.  "Yeah.  He apparently fled as soon as word got out that the goons working under him were being rounded up, and were starting to talk.  I think he took what money he could get his hands on, and promptly skipped out of the county; maybe even the state.  Frankly, there's no telling _where_ he could be right now; not until we get some sort of lead on his whereabouts.  I wish I had better news for you than that," he told them regretfully.  "But it's just a matter of time.  People like McComb who always want to be in charge can't stay hidden for very long; it's not in their nature."

 

"That may be," Brian countered.  "But you just told us you really don't know WHERE he is, do you? What if he comes after Justin?"

 

"Why would he do _that_?" Billy countered.  "Justin wasn't a witness to anything. He may be called to testify regarding the effects of the Ketamine after it was slipped into his water bottle, but he didn't see it done, and couldn't identify McComb. That's how those people work; they issue the orders, and then sit back and watch everyone else carry them out. They rule by greed and intimidation.  Well, some of his lackeys wound up not being as loyal as he thought; some of them are singing like canaries, now that their freedom is at stake."

 

"Are you saying some of them could walk?" Craig asked, incredulous. 

 

"No," Billy hastened to add, a little miffed that anyone would even think that.  "Depending upon their level of involvement - and any genuine remorse they may show - they may get their sentences lessened to some degree through plea bargaining. But I can assure you, NONE of them will ‘walk.'  They will still all be doing serious jail time." 

 

"You should be included in that group," Brian growled as he turned to glower down at Jared. 

 

Justin reached over to grip his forearm.  "Brian..."

 

The older boy turned to face back around to face him.  "Well, it's true, Justin! I don't care if he DID turn state's evidence - or whatever the hell you call it.  He might as well have put the Special K in the water bottle himself!"

 

"That's not fair!" Jared retorted in disbelief.  "I've told you! I had NO idea that Doug was going to do that! If I had known, don't you think I would have stopped him?"

 

"I don't know, Jared!  Would you have? You've been jealous of your brother from the first moment I saw you!"

 

Jared snorted, unable to let that comment slide; not when his pride was involved.  "I hardly think so!  He has nothing on me." 

 

Justin rolled his eyes in disgust.  _One step forward, two steps backward.  Would it always be this way now?_ In a weird sort of way, he actually MISSED his brother; well, at least the brother he USED to have.  "I've told you before, Jared; I've never considered us in competition with each other in the first place," he told his brother sadly.  "Why do _you_?"

 

"Enough!" Craig bellowed, startling everyone. Eyes flashing, he let out a huge sigh, trying to calm himself.  "This isn't getting us anywhere," he explained a little less vociferously as he lowered his voice.  "Billy, what is the next step?  You said their arraignment?"

 

Billy nodded.  "Yeah.  The prosecutor and I will do everything to ensure none of them are granted bail."

 

"See that you do," Will spoke up bluntly.  "None of them should ever see the light of day again - not after what happened to my boy." 

 

"I'll keep you all posted," he assured those present; peering over at the older Taylor boy, he advised, "We'd best be heading back into town now, Jared." 

 

Jared opened his mouth in derision.  "What's the point?" he snapped.  "It's not like I have anywhere to go!"

 

Craig frowned.  "I thought you were staying above the gas station."

 

Jared snorted.  "In Doug's apartment?"  His father nodded.  "Yeah, right.  As soon as the owner heard that his so-called tenant had been arrested, he promptly locked the place up tighter than a drum, and put a ‘for rent' sign up this morning.  There's no way I can afford rent on the place."  He peered over at his parents as he hesitated.  "Mom...Dad..."  He hated to grovel; in fact, he _refused_ to beg.  But the fact was, with no money and no prospects for a job, he didn't have anywhere to go. 

 

Craig sighed, knowing what was coming as Jennifer reached over to clutch his wrist.  She stared over at him, a look of concern on her face. She hadn't liked it when their son had been kicked out of the house before - although she understood why - and this felt like it was happening all over again.  "Craig...maybe we can..."

 

"No, Jen," her husband replied firmly as he stared over at their older son.  "Jared still has to prove himself.  He's made a mess of things; let _him_ get out of it now."  He hated having to be so rigid in his position; truth was, he missed the son who he had spent untold hours with out in the barn, working on their latest project. But lately his older son had been a major disappointment.  Perhaps there was a concession that could still be made, however.  "I suppose you could bunk out in the barn for now." he finally decided.  "You used to do that anyway all the time when you were younger. But only if Justin is agreeable with it...and only if you promise to help out with the chores until you can find a regular, paying job.  It's time you learn to take more responsibility, Jared, and prove that you really want to change." 

 

Jared huffed. He didn't know which one was worse; having to sleep out in the barn, or having to obtain ‘permission' from his younger brother to stay.  "Why the barn?" he groused.  "And since when does Justin dictate everything I do?" 

 

Justin scowled at him as Craig replied curtly, "Since you chose to associate with someone who almost got your brother killed.  Not to mention that you've done nothing but try to cause trouble, ever since Brian came to live with Will and Sarah." 

 

"That's not..."

 

"Don't even try to deny that," Craig told him as he glanced over at the Kinney boy and his aunt and uncle.  "Or I will rescind my offer." 

 

Jared sighed heavily.  "Okay, okay," he grumbled, knowing it was going to be the best he could hope for at the moment.

 

Craig nodded as he peered over at Justin.  "Justin, you're okay with this?"

 

Brian remained silent beside him, but he was dying to tell Craig that the last thing he wanted was for Jared to be given permission to return to Windswept Farm.  But he also knew it was not his decision to make; only Justin could decide if he was comfortable with the arrangement.

 

Not entirely to his surprise, Justin nodded after a few seconds.  "Yeah...it's okay," he replied softly, wanting to try and somehow patch things up with Jared.  He couldn't quite forget everything he had done - and he knew it wasn't really his brother's fault that he had been injured - but he also knew it would take some time for them to regain the previous warmer bond they had shared before.

 

Craig nodded again.  "Good. Then it's settled."  He eyed his older son intently.  "Where are your things?  You still have some clothes upstairs, so I guess that would do for now." 

 

Jared appeared a little uncomfortable as he admitted, "They're out in my duffel bag in the back of Billy's car."   He was having a hard time conceding that he had already packed up everything in hopes he would be able somehow to stay.

 

"That's Sheriff Renfro to _you_ ," Craig corrected him.  He shook his head in frustration before instructing him, "You can start by going out and cleaning off the tractor and giving it a tune-up.  It's been acting up lately, and probably needs an oil change and the spark plugs replaced.  Get busy. We'll call you in when it's time for supper later."

 

Jared bit back a ‘Gee, thanks,' as he rolled his eyes before turning around and heading down the back walk toward the gate, taking a moment to grab his duffel bag out of the sheriff's car and slamming the door harder than necessary before heading toward the barn.   

 

Billy broke the silence by stating, "I guess that's all the update I have for now. When I find out more about McComb and what happens at the arraignment with the others, I'll be back in touch.  And just so you know," he added as he peered over specifically at Jennifer and Craig, "I will have one of my deputies patrolling nearby several times a day, just to keep an eye on things here."

 

Jennifer's eyes widened.  "Do you think that's necessary?"

 

"More of a precaution," Billy assured her with a grim expression.  "I think McComb is long gone by now.  He's not a stupid man, or he couldn't have led such a big operation for so long undetected."

 

Jennifer nodded in relief.  "You don't want to stay for supper, Billy?" she asked, unable to let him leave without offering him something to eat. 

 

Billy shook his head with a smile as he took his hat off to wipe his brow before placing it back on his head.  "No, thank you, Jennifer. That's very kind of you to offer, but I'd best be getting back into town.  If you need anything," he added, peering over at the Walkers and then the rest of the group, " _any_ of you...just give me a holler."

 

"Thank you, Billy," Sarah murmured, still trying to come to terms with everything they had learned.  Between learning more about their son's death, the cause of Justin's injuries, her sister and brother-in-law's less-than-pleasant visit recently, and Brian's surprising inheritance, her mind was reeling with all the events that had occurred.  As if sensing her discomfort, she felt Will's arm slide around her waist and pull her closer to him, instantly making her feel less uneasy.  She leaned her cheek against his shoulder, somehow conveying to him her gratitude.

 

"Sarah...Will...Craig...Jennifer," the sheriff acknowledged each of the adults with a short nod.  "I'll be going," he told them, as, with a respectful tip of his cap, he exited the porch and headed toward his car.

 

Everyone seemed to let out a soft sigh to let the thickness and tension on the porch dissipate slightly before Craig announced, "Well, at least we know a little more now."  He turned to his youngest son to counsel him, "Justin, until that McComb is caught, I don't want you leaving this farm."

 

"Dad, the sheriff said..."

 

"I know what he said, Son," Craig replied quietly.  "But I don't want you taking any chances.  Do I have to remind you - again - that you could have gotten killed, Justin?" 

 

Justin sighed heavily.  "No, I'm all too aware of that."  He shook his head.  "I still can't believe this.  I did _nothing_ to them.  I didn't even know they existed!"

 

"What you did was outdo everyone else on the racetrack," Brian told him by his side.  "Jealousy makes people do some outrageous things.  So does greed." 

 

"I can't stop racing," Justin insisted to the others. "We...we need..."  He stopped then, realizing he was risking embarrassing his father; he knew how helpless he felt at times by not being able to provide adequately for his family.  He left the rest of his statement trail off, but was shocked a few moments later when his father spoke up. 

 

"We'll be okay, Justin," he father replied.  He smiled then, despite what had just occurred.  "I have a job starting Monday." 

 

Justin's mouth gaped open.  "You do?"  His father nodded.  "Where? How?" 

 

His father smiled a little more as he informed him, "The attorney who came in here for Brian's uncle's estate mentioned that they were looking for an accountant in one of the satellite law firms near Lexington.  He offered to set me up with an interview."

 

"That's where you were the other day when you were gone so long?"  He recalled his mom telling him that his father would be gone most of the day on ‘an errand,' but he hadn't really thought to question the reason why; it wasn't unusual for his father to go into town for various reasons having to do with the operation of the farm, and wind up not coming home until mid- to late-afternoon.

 

Craig nodded.  "Yes.  I just got a call an hour ago that I got the job.  And it's a _good_ job, Justin.  It'll be a longer commute than if I were working in town, but it will be worth the extra travel - and with excellent benefits. So you can stop worrying about rushing back into racing.  We'll be okay...I promise." 

 

Justin smiled in delight; more for his father than for himself.  "That's great, Dad!" he told him sincerely as Jennifer grinned back at him in return.  "I mean, it's great about your job..."

 

"I know what you mean," he told him gently.  "But don't think I don't realize what you've done for us, Justin."  He paused, feeling a little uncomfortable in the presence of everyone else, but needing to say it nonetheless.  "I'm very proud of you, Son. And now you can concentrate more on your dream of going to college, and using your talent - combining your talents - to help others like you always wanted to do."  He stopped for a moment before telling him softly, "You don't belong on a farm, Justin. Not really.  Not as your life's work.  And now you won't have to worry anymore about that."

 

Justin's throat constricted over his father's words of encouragement and pride.  All he could do through glistening eyes was nod at him in response, feeling Brian squeeze his shoulder as he leaned into his side, needing the older boy's support.  Somehow he could feel his love for him in that simple touch as well. 

 

His father cleared his throat.  "And now, I have some tilling to do out back.  If you need me, Jen, I'll be out in the west field." 

 

Jen nodded.

 

He was about to leave before he added somewhat impulsively, "Will...Sarah..."  After brief consideration, he added, "Brian.  You are all welcome to join us for supper."  He looked over at Jen, who nodded in agreement.  "Jen always makes way too much food for us anyway," he told them with a smile.

 

Jen grinned, knowing she couldn't deny it; it was almost a southern tradition.  "I'll have plenty. Please say you'll join us." 

 

Sarah peered over at her husband questioningly.  "Up to you, Missy," he told her softly, knowing what their nephew's answer would be before they even asked; the boy found any excuse he possibly could lately to spend as much time with Justin as he could.  He wondered how Brian was going to feel when the boy he had come to care about so deeply headed off to college next year, however.  For now, though, at least he knew Brian meant to stay here with them on their farm, instead of returning to Pittsburgh.  That thought made him inexplicably happy; happier than he would have ever thought possible before. 

 

"You're very kind," Sarah told Jennifer.  "But I have something already prepared in the crockpot back home.  Perhaps some other time." 

 

"Of course," Jennifer told her, stifling a grin as she noticed the disappointment that flashed on Brian's face in reaction to what his aunt said.  "Well...maybe Brian would like to stay...?"  She couldn't help issuing the invitation; both boys looked like they had just lost their favorite puppy. 

 

Sarah glanced over at their nephew, who was practically glued to the Taylor boy.  Was it wise to encourage their relationship, knowing that eventually they would have to separate when Justin left for school?  She knew that was months away, and _also_ knew somehow that this was no ‘school-boy' infatuation; she had always believed it possible you could fall in love at a young age, and something told her this was one of those times.  Her sentimental side couldn't resist, then. 

 

Brian and Justin's hearts were both pounding in anticipation as Brian replied to Jennifer, "Well...if you don't think I would be any bother..."  _Please..._ he silently entreated as he looked over at his aunt and uncle.  Lately he couldn't spend enough time with Justin, even if it DID mean they would possibly have to endure Jared's company as well.  It was still worth it.

 

To his relief, Sarah glanced at Will, who issued a curt nod of acceptance before she responded, "Well, then, I guess we'll see you after supper, then, Brian. Don't forget you still have the tractor to wash off before bedtime, though." 

 

Brian was too happy to complain as he nodded.  "Yes, Ma'am," he replied, unable to keep from smiling. 

 

His smile was contagious as Sarah, too, smiled back at him.

 

"Then we'll be going," Will told the Taylors as he began to gently steer his wife toward the steps.  "Don't wear out your welcome, Brian," he advised his nephew half-seriously before he and Sarah headed toward the back gate.

 

Jennifer smiled; she couldn't figure out at that moment which boy was more besotted with each other, or happier that Brian was staying here.  "Justin, can you go check on the hives for me? I'm sure they must be getting pretty full by now, and I'm going to be completely out of honey soon." 

 

Justin nodded.  "Sure, mom."  He grinned over at Brian, who had no idea what he was about to get involved with.  "Come on, Brian; we're going cultivating." 

 

"Huh?" 

 

"I'll explain on the way," was the cryptic answer as he grabbed Brian's wrist and tugged him toward the back gate.

 

* * *

 

_Ten Minutes Later..._

Brian chuckled at the sight before him as Justin emerged from the small, wooden shed to the right of the barn; the outfit he had donned was clearly much too big for his slender frame, and practically swallowed him whole. This _couldn't_ be his mother's outfit, either; she was much too petite to wear it, so it must be an extra or maybe belonged to Justin's father.

 

"What are _you_ laughing at?" Justin scowled indignantly from his place near the shed, where his mother kept her working outfit and a spare hanging on a hook just inside the door. His intention had been for BRIAN to go retrieve the honey and wear the outfit, not him. But "Mr. Fashion Plate" had taken one look at the bizarre appearing clothing, and had promptly decreed that there was ‘no fucking way' he was going to be caught dead in an outfit that resembled one of the white, 50-lb. burlap sacks the feed store used in town to package the shelled corn they sold.  So, unfortunately, Justin's initial thought of being amused by Brian attempting to play beekeeper had been quickly dashed.

 

"You remind me of Marty McFly," he commented dryly. Brian secretly thought he looked adorable, though, in a rumpled, alien sort of way. "Are you any good at the Vulcan salute?" 

 

Justin promptly separated his fingers in the customary ‘V" shape as he asked with a grin, "You liked that movie, too?"  Ever since he had seen _Back to the Future,_ he would have died for a REAL hover board, or a way to move ahead in time to maybe be just a bit older. 

 

Brian grinned back at him.  "Yeah," he told him as he walked closer to his companion who was now dressed completely in white except for the shoes and gloves.  He leaned in to press his lips against the mesh material of the face protector to steal a brief kiss from Justin.  "But he didn't look as sexy in it as you do."  He laughed as Justin promptly smacked him on the chest. 

 

"I don't look sexy in this!" he snapped, perturbed.  "I look like a poor man's version of a fucking astronaut! And stop laughing at me!"  He had to eventually crack a smile, though, as he looked at Brian's amused expression.  "Okay, maybe it IS a bit too large," he conceded.  "But you have to be careful around bees, and dress properly.  Those stings can really...well, sting."

 

Brian's smile quickly dissolved into a look of alarm as a thought occurred to him.  "Are you allergic to bee stings?"  He already knew HE wasn't - he had found that out the hard way when he had stepped on one coming back from the swimming hole.  It had hurt like hell for a while, but at least the discomfort went away after his Aunt Sarah had tended to it.  _Was that only a few months ago?_ Sometimes, it seemed like forever.

 

"Relax, worrywart," Justin admonished him softly.  "I'm not actually allergic to bee stings, believe it or not, and I know from watching my mom what to do and what NOT to do.  YOU, on the other hand, certainly could get stung.  Besides, as long as the queen's there and the weather's cool, they shouldn't bother me." 

 

Brian eyed him skeptically.  "You've _never_ been stung by a bee?"

 

"Well...I didn't SAY that," he admitted as Brian snorted.  "I just know when the best time is to gather honey, and this is a good time. If you let the hive get TOO full of honey, it agitates the bees because the queen doesn't have enough room.  And you can tell by their humming whether they're happy little buggers, or looking for a fight. You never want to go near them when it's raining or really hot, either."

 

Brian burst out laughing over his lover's personal service announcement, always marveling at the odd pieces of information Justin seemed to know.  "Oh, really?" he asked dryly.  He frowned as Justin reached over to pick up something that resembled an old-fashioned, metal thermos.  "What in the hell is _that?_ " 

 

"It's called a smoker," Justin told him as he held it in his hand and checked it over.  "It helps to calm the bees while you're getting the honey."

 

"Well, it's not like any smoker _I've_ ever seen," Brian observed in amusement.  "But there _was_ Rodney Masters." 

 

"Rodney Masters?"

 

Brian nodded.  "We went to school together in junior high.  He used to hide out behind the bleachers to sneak a smoke, and couldn't exhale properly if his life depended on it.  He had so much smoke around him, I think I could have barbecued a steak with it."

 

Justin giggled as he reached inside a wooden box nearby to retrieve a bag of tools he would need, along with a metal bucket. "Come on, then - let's go smoke us out some honey."

 

Brian smiled as he held out his hand in a motion for Justin to lead.  "After you, then... _honey_." 

 

Justin grinned, knowing it was a joke, but he kind of LIKED the endearment as the two boys trudged up the hill toward the bee hives located several hundred feet away. 

 

* * *

 

Thirty minutes later, Justin had discarded the beekeeper outfit and placed the wooden frames known as ‘supers' down by the cellar entrance as Brian reached down to swing one of the wooden doors open; it created a loud noise as it banged against the side of the house. Moments later, they entered the cool, dank, dark space where the Taylors kept their canned goods and jars of processed honey.  Justin's mother would see to finishing up the job tomorrow over by the porcelain sink in the corner, but for now the supers would be placed inside a special, cooled container that resembled an old-fashioned freezer.

 

Reaching up to grab the piece of string that hung down next to a bare light bulb in the center of the cellar, the room lit up as the bulb swung slightly back and forth, allowing Brian a better look.  Along the walls of the small space, wooden shelf after wooden shelf held all sorts of fruits and vegetables that had been carefully cooked and then canned for consumption later; he figured there must have been at least a hundred jars.  He wrinkled his nose at one odd-looking row containing what appeared to be dark red ‘blobs.' inside.  "What the fuck is that? Looks like someone's pickled brains packed in their own blood." 

 

Justin scrunched up his nose. "Thanks a lot. Remind me this fall not to eat any of my mom's candied beets for Thanksgiving."  He lifted the heavy lid of the large cooling conainer, placing the supers down onto specially-made metal shelves, before closing it back up.

 

Brian grinned back at him, thinking briefly how great it was to actually imagine still being here for Thanksgiving, instead of back home in the Pitts.  He didn't reflect on what that might mean as far as how much he had changed since he had arrived here.  "Well, if you're a _good_ boy, I'll give you some OTHER kind of candy."  He gently pushed Justin backward until the younger boy's back was pressed up against the far cement wall.  Justin shivered as he felt the coldness hit his back through the thin layer of his cotton shirt, but he soon warmed up as Brian's lips pressed against his, increasing quickly in ardor and pressure as he was pushed tighter into the wall.  Brian's hands were splayed, palms down, to either side of his body, effectively pinning Justin where he stood, but even if he could have escaped, he wouldn't have; he was enjoying himself way too much as his own hands came up to slowly roam over Brian's upper arms, feeling the sinewy hardness under his touch.  His body thrummed with sexual excitement as they continued to kiss; that is, until they were startled by the sound of Solomon barking at the top of the cellar steps.

 

"Shit!" Brian growled as they broke apart and Justin giggled.  "That dog's going to give me a fucking heart attack one day!"  He turned just in time to see Solomon bounding down the steps in response to his voice, bouncing excitedly up and down on his stubby legs and baying joyously.  "They _would_ have to have a beagle for a dog."  He shook his head as he reluctantly let Justin go.  "Why don't you go find a nice duck or something to play with?"  He rolled his eyes as the dog peered up at him and furiously wagged his tail, oblivious to the tone of his voice.  Sighing, he impulsively reached down to scratch the velvety ears before he told him, "Go find a nice rabbit or a bitch to hump." The dog - seemingly satisfied for now and thinking there would be no more ear scratching or belly rubbing forthcoming - finally turned and bounded back up the steps, leaving the two boys alone again.

 

"Softy," Justin chided him with a smile as Brian huffed in protest; but they both knew the truth. Pecking Brian on the cheek, he grabbed his hand as they exited the cellar and closed the door back, not realizing that Jared was watching them from the barn.

 

His brother sighed in resignation; there was no longer any point in denying that his younger brother and Brian were infatuated with each other.   Maybe, if he were truthful, _more_ than infatuated, if that was possible at Justin's age.  In a way, he felt more envious than jealous now, because he had never experienced that sort of feeling; his had always focused more on just plain lust and getting his rocks off.  But this...whatever it was...between his brother and Kinney seemed to be a lot more than that, despite Justin's young age.  He noticed the two of them staring over at him as they walked around the side of the house and toward the back gate; by the looks on their faces he knew he could no longer hold out any hope that he and Kinney would ever be anything more than connected through the person both of them cared about, but in much different ways. And he DID care, despite everything that had happened. Because in the end, years of brotherly love couldn't be wiped away with a few months of discord. 

 

"Justin?  Can I talk to you?" he quietly called over to his brother. He watched as he hesitated, Brian gripping his wrist and no doubt questioning his judgment, before he let go of Justin's hand to allow him to approach. He noticed, however, that Brian wasn't far behind as he followed him over to the barn.

 

Justin squinted at him through the bright sunshine directly above.  "What do you want, Jared?" 

 

Jared noticed the hand that clamped onto Justin's shoulder from behind as he spoke.  _Kinney certainly is protective._ "I..." He sighed.  "Do we have to have a three-way conversation?"

 

"That's the _only_ three-way you'll every have with _me_ ," Brian muttered as Jared rolled his eyes at him.

 

"Don't you think I realize that now?" he couldn't help retorting.  He sighed again.  "Okay," he began, focusing on his brother.  "I just wanted to tell you how bad I feel about what happened to you. And...about everything else." 

 

"Everything else?" Justin pressed, needing to hear it, even though after all these years he could almost read his brother's mind. 

 

Jared pressed his lips together in resolve before taking a deep breath.  "What I did to try and break the two of you up. The...lies..."  He took another deep breath and let it out.  "You've been my brother a lot longer than HE'S been here," he pointed out.  "And...he won't be the only guy I'll be with."

 

"Maybe not," Brian couldn't help interjecting.  "But you'll never be with _me_ again - in any way, shape, or form."  He slid his arm around Justin's waist then as if to emphasize his point.

 

"I know that now; trust me!" Jared replied a little more sharply than he had intended.  Brian snorted at his choice of words, but he ignored them for now.  "Can we just call a truce, Justin?  I want my brother back." 

 

Justin eyed him for several seconds as if he were internally analyzing everything. Brian remained silent, apparently allowing Justin to decide for himself, until he finally nodded.  "Yeah.  I still don't trust you entirely," he informed him.  "But you _are_ my brother.  It's going to take some time, though, for me to forget everything you did."  He turned to glance over his shoulder at Brian as he faced his brother again to add, "But I have everything I need now, and I'm happy.  And...I want you to be happy, too, Jared. I hope you find whatever you're looking for," he told him softly. 

 

Jared nodded, knowing for now that was the best he would get.  "Thanks," he murmured, stumbling slightly over the word as if he were tasting something sour.  It took a lot for him to admit mistakes, and he knew that Justin realized that. Hopefully, then, he would also realize how truthful he was being.  "Well...I'll be getting back to my chores, then." 

 

Justin nodded as he watched his brother turn and head back into the barn; a few seconds later, he could hear a banging noise near the back where the tractor was located as Jared apparently continued working on the tractor. 

 

"I hope you're not making a mistake, Justin," Brian told him quietly as Justin turned to face him.  "I believe he didn't mean for you to get hurt...but I still don't trust him totally." 

 

"I don't, either," Justin admitted, his hands placed on Brian's chest as he stared into the concerned, hazel-colored eyes.  "But he's my brother, Brian.  And...I still love him." 

 

Brian smiled at him tenderly.  "I know you do."  He hesitated before deciding, _to hell with it_.  "And that's one of the reasons why...I love you." 

 

Justin's smile threatened to rival the sun as he beamed back at him.  "And I love _you_."  They were about to kiss once more when suddenly they heard Jennifer calling out to them.  "Supper, boys!" she announced. "Will you let your brother know?"

 

"Yeah," Justin told her as she nodded before disappearing back into the house, the screen door banging behind her.  Brian brushed some errant hair back from his forehead - more of a restless gesture than anything - as Justin called out to his brother to inform him it was time to eat.  "Come on," he told Brian softly, reaching to clasp his hand.  "Forget about him, and let's just concentrate on _us."_

 

Brian nodded with a slight smile as - hands swinging between them - the two of them headed toward the house.

 

* * *

_Midnight - Walker Farm_

The sound of thousands of crickets and tree frogs permeating through his open bedroom window barely registered in Brian's brain as he lay there, too wound up to sleep and thinking about the person who was always uppermost in his mind.  The dinner at the Taylor farm had actually not been as awkward as he had imagined; everyone seemed to concentrate on discussing subjects other than the ones they were all most thinking about - the sheriff's news he had given them earlier, and the ever-changing situation between Justin and Jared.  But he had to admit - Jared had been on his best behavior, not displaying his typical cockiness and smugness that he normally did.  They had all managed to get through dinner reasonably well; plus, he had had some time afterward to be alone with Justin out back on the porch, both of them feeling a bit awkward knowing Jared was somewhere in the barn, no doubt spying on their activities, so Brian had had to resort to some light kissing with his lover in lieu of what he _really_ wanted so badly to do - take him in his arms and never let him go.  He wanted to protect Justin, to keep him from harm forever. But he also knew realistically he couldn't do that, nor would Justin want him to. Justin was a lot stronger than he might appear to be, and  his independence and resilience made him part of who he was.  That didn't mean he didn't constantly worry about him, however.

 

He sighed, his hands folded under his head as he lay there, so many things running through his head.  Justin...his plans for the future...the feeling of absolute exhilaration earlier today when he had been racing with True Blue around the Taylor's track...the inheritance he would soon receive.  What the hell would he do with all that money?  Oh, he definitely planned on helping his aunt and uncle to live a more comfortable, worry-free life, even though he expected to receive a lot of resistance from his uncle, especially. Both his aunt and uncle were very proud people, so he anticipated his offer to help them financially would not be met with ready acceptance. But he was determined anyway to show them his gratitude for all they had done for him. 

 

As for his practice with True Blue - what, if anything, would result from that?  Would it be a temporary way to satisfy his ‘need for speed' rush - or something else? He knew it was premature to even think about actually doing any racing. And besides, what would his aunt and uncle's reaction be when they found out what he was doing? It wasn't as if he were intentionally trying to hide it from them, but he hadn't actually been upfront about it, either.  He knew deep down they might not like the idea of their nephew following in their son's footsteps; not after what had happened to Dale. But that had been different; he knew how to take risks safely.  But he wasn't sure what their reaction would be.  He _also_ knew, though, that he needed to tell them soon. 

 

He sighed; he knew at the rate he was going, he would never get to sleep anytime soon.  He turned his head to feel the warm breeze blowing in through the open window, seeing the full moonlight streaming in and almost making the room appear to be lit from within.  The moonlight only made him yearn to be with Justin, however, bringing back memories of other moonlit nights with him.  "Down, boy," he groaned as his cock stirred in response. He already knew if he ever DID get to sleep, what - or whom - he would be dreaming of.  Unheedful of how it sounded, he couldn't help wondering if Justin was lying in his own bed, thinking of him as well.  Slowly - in spite of what he had thought earlier - his body eventually succumbed to his weariness, and he finally fell into a light sleep, dreaming of a certain blond uppermost in his mind and firmly entrenched in his heart. 

 

* * *

 

Perched on an upturned, wooden apple crate in the barn, Jared sat near a lighted kerosene lantern, smoking a cigarette he had pulled from a pack found in Doug's now padlocked apartment; his supply of weed - along with his money - had quickly petered out to where he barely would have enough for a cup of coffee.  He had never thought he would wind up bunking back in the barn, where he used to hide several years ago, normally after he had done something he shouldn't have, and his father had voiced his disapproval. If he were honest with himself, though, he knew his father had always been fair to him; in fact, probably _more_ than fair.  By the time Justin had come along, it had somehow evolved to where their father would favor HIM and not his younger brother.  He was also aware that his father had spent more time with him than with Justin; not intentionally, perhaps, but their mutual love of working on classic cars had translated naturally into spending more time together here in the barn.

 

He glanced over at the car he and his father had been working on a few weeks ago, noticing that some more work had been done in his absence.  How had everything gotten so fucked up?  He could only hope that somehow everything could be rectified; maybe not return entirely back to the way it was, but at least improved from what it was now.  He knew, also, that in order to do that, he would have to win back the trust of not only his father, but also his brother; the brother that he cared deeply for, but didn't quite know how to handle now that he had become more of a man than a boy. 

 

Rubbing the palm of his hand wearily over his face, he decided it was time to catch some shut-eye; he knew his father - if he followed his normal morning habit - would be up bright and early, here in the barn and expecting him to rise along with him to start on what he figured would be numerous chores he would have to accomplish. But if it meant reestablishing some sense of normalcy back into his life, he was prepared for it.

 

* * *

 

As he lay on top of the blanketed layer of straw laid out upon the barn loft's floor a few minutes later, Jared thought about the upcoming trials regarding his brother's injury and Dale's death, dreading having to get up and testify to what he knew, but knowing it was inevitable.  At least through the surveillance work the sheriff had done, he had now been cleared from any wrongdoing. But it didn't make the prospect of facing his former best friend in court and having to testify against him any less unpleasant.  He sighed, staring up at the top of the loft's timbered roof before turning his head to notice the moonlight streaming in through the outline of the barn door several feet away; the door he and Justin used to use so they could jump into a huge pile of hay when they were younger.  He smiled at the remembrance of it.  It was a good memory. Hopefully, sometime in the future, they could create some _more_ good memories. Something told him that those memories might have to include a certain boy who was living next door. But oddly enough, he could accept that. One look at them earlier, and he knew he had no other choice.  He could only hope that one day someone else would look at _him_ that same way.  Sitting up long enough to blow out the wick of the kerosene lantern, he settled on his back and closed his eyes before he finally drifted off to sleep. 

* * *

 

_Same Time..._

 

The crunch of gravel seemed louder than it actually was in Marty McComb's ears as he turned the beat-up, dark-colored sedan into someone's driveway; luckily, he could tell by the bright illumination above that the driveway led to a farmhouse situated far back from the road.  And by the look of the darkened structure, the occupants had gone to bed, so they would not detect the vehicle parked there.  He had ‘borrowed' the non-descript, older car earlier in the day, when one of the town's neighbors had so obligingly left it sitting out in front of the drug store while he had gone inside.  He smirked; apparently in a Mayberry town as small as this one, people still actually trusted others not to do them any harm or steal their property.  But for his purposes, the beat-up condition and plain appearance of the vehicle served him perfectly to melt into the scenery until he could accomplish what he had set out to do. 

 

He scowled at the thought of even getting his hands dirty; normally he wouldn't be caught dead taking care of such a task, but with all his henchmen in jail he had no alternative.  He smirked over his choice of words.  It hadn't been hard to figure out where Taylor's family lived - or to find out from some of the well-meaning townspeople what had happened to Taylor's temporary quarters over the gas station when Kesterson had been arrested. It hadn't been hard, either, to find a recent photo of him on the local high school's website.  He had always lived by luck and more than a little greed, and his luck had held out earlier when he had spied the sheriff himself heading toward the Taylor farmhouse with none other than Jared Taylor himself sitting in the passenger seat of the car.  And just as he figured, no one had paid any mind to a man sitting in his car at the rest area down the road, including the sheriff or his passenger. 

 

He gripped the steering wheel, his lips biting down on the stubby end of what remained of his cigar, before he reached over to the passenger seat and retrieved the gleaming object to grip it in his right hand, savoring the coldness and heaviness of the metal.  He had waited long enough.  He knew that the full moon above could be both a blessing as well as a curse to him. But the sheriff had been gone for hours now - leaving alone - and now was the time.   

 

* * *

_2:00 a.m. - Taylor Farmhouse_

The blare of the nightly 2 a.m. coal train jolted Justin from his sleep as his eyes fluttered open, his consciousness slowly becoming aware of his surroundings; he had been having the most wondrous dream involving, of course, him and Brian out on some beautiful but primitive deserted island, existing there on nothing but tropical fruit, love, and fucking - plenty of it.  He groaned, realizing he had just been awakened right in the middle of the most erotic part; Brian was just about to lap up some coconut milk from his stomach, his tongue swirling sensually around his belly button.  Glancing down at his woody tented underneath the thin cotton, he pushed the sheet aside, now drenched with his sweat from his dream, and slipped out of the bed, shuffling over sleepily to the open window to savor the now-cool air of early morning.  Glancing down at the backyard before him, he broke out into a beaming smile of surprised delight: by virtue of the moonlight above, he could make out a tall, slim figure standing by the back gate, his head down with his hands jammed inside his jacket pockets.  _Why hadn't he gotten his attention by the usual method?_ he wondered, until he figured it was because the window was wide open.  _Nothing to throw at me this time?_ He thought with a grin.

 

Smiling as a delicious thought occurred to him that perhaps the real thing could assuage his raging hard-on, he hurriedly slipped into his shoes before stealthily creeping down the hallway past his parents' bedroom and toward the stairs, taking care to skip over the step near the top that always creaks.  Shuffling down the hallway, he took great pains to slowly open the back door by the kitchen, peering through the screen door into the semi-darkness to see Brian still standing near the gate. Frowning as he wondered why Brian hadn't moved yet, he slowly swung the screen door open, wincing as it creaked.  As he walked outside, however, Brian must have heard him, because the figure turned around to face him.  His blood ran cold, however, as he realized it wasn't Brian at all; it was a stranger to him.  "What...What do you want?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.  His heart threatened to pound out of his chest as the man pulled an object out of his pocket then; in the stark illumination of the bright, summer moon, it wasn't difficult to tell what it was. 

 

The man sneered as he held the gun out in front of him, aimed straight toward the slight blond teenager standing about 10 feet away.  "You're going to tell me where Jared is."  He had seen this boy enough in the papers and at the racetrack to immediately recognize him as Jared's younger brother, Justin. The same one who should be dead by now - if Kesterson hadn't screwed up at Red Mill.

 

_Oh, my God.  No._ Justin somehow immediately knew who this man was; there could only be one explanation.  Bolstering what courage he could, he swallowed hard before replying, "I don't know who you're talking about." 

 

The man chuckled dryly.  "Nice try, Kid."  His look of humor abruptly disappeared as his voice took on a hard, steely tone.  He cocked the trigger back, the click sounding outrageously loud to Justin's ears, as he demanded, "I'm going to ask you one more time.  Where is he?  Don't fucking play games with me." 

 

Justin pursed his lips together into a tight line, his heart pounding furiously.  "I...I don't know.  He doesn't live here anymore."  _At least that part was correct - to an extent, anyway_.

 

"Oh, he's here, all right," McComb growled.  "I saw him earlier with that bumbling sheriff.  He came here with him...and he left alone."  The man slowly advanced closer and closer to his target, his right arm locked straight out as he continued to point the gun directly at Justin.  He had to give the kid credit; even with the most hardened of men he had encountered, there was always a look of fear in their eyes when he was pointing his gun at them, and they were literally staring down death. This one, however, almost looked defiant in nature.  He knew if he made good on his threat, however, there was a possibility that he would not find out where Taylor was at all.  Perhaps there was another way, however.

 

Before he could make good on his idea, however, he heard what sounded like a dog growling nearby.  _How had he missed that?  He was normally very careful about distractions like that._   Still aiming the gun at the blond, he turned his head just enough to observe what appeared to be a beagle several feet away out in middle of the dirt road, standing rigidly in place. 

 

"Get the hell out of here," he snarled at him menacingly.  That only served, however, for the dog to continue growling even louder until the growl turned into a series of barks.  Either forgetting that the windows of the farmhouse were open, or unheeding of that fact, McComb snapped at Justin, "Either shut that dog up, or I'll shut him up!" 

 

Justin hissed at Solomon urgently, "Solomon! It's okay, boy! Go home!"  But the dog stubbornly stood his ground, his hackles raised in distrust, almost as if he could smell the anger and maliciousness rolling off the stranger in waves.  He watched in horror as the man whipped his body around in anger, prepared to shoot the dog where he stood.  "Go away, Solomon!" Justin scolded him as loudly as he dared, trying to sound perturbed at him; miraculously, the dog finally chose to do as Justin said, backing away slightly but continuing to growl under his breath. But at least he was no longer barking, and Justin suspected the man wouldn't shoot him, anyway; not if he didn't want to be detected before he found his brother.  _Oh, God._   He didn't know what to do, however; just the thought that this was apparently the man who had been responsible for Dale's death - and who wanted HIM dead - made him sick to his stomach...and terrified. For him AND his brother. 

 

The man turned back around - apparently satisfied the dog was no longer an issue - before he advanced even further on Justin; by now he was so close that Justin could smell the man's rank breath where he had been smoking cigars and drinking coffee nonstop earlier.  The man's eyes bored into his - ugly, menacing eyes.  "Turn around," he ordered.

 

Justin stood his ground for a moment before he finally did as he was told.  Despite the fact that he wanted to protect his brother, he still didn't want to die, either.  He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, wondering if the next sound he was going to hear would be the gunshot to end his life, before he felt the man's muscular arms wind around him in a virtual vise.  He shivered as he felt the man's hot breath near his ear.

 

"Now you're going to take me to see him...or I'll blow your brains out.  And don't think I won't do it." 

 

Justin didn't know where he got to courage to reply more confidently than he felt, "You won't do that, or everyone in this valley will come running when they hear you shoot me."

 

To his dismay, however, the man merely chuckled as he informed him, "Ever hear of a silencer?  Well, keep it up, and you'll know exactly what it sounds like when I pull the trigger." The man's voice turned deadly as he repeated, "Now take me to him... _now."_

Justin bit his lip in hesitation. What the hell should he do? Obviously the man didn't realize that Jared wasn't in the house, but out in the barn. And either way, whether he moved toward the house or the barn, someone he loved would be put into danger - _mortal_ danger.  He couldn't let that happen - even if it DID result in his own death.  "I'm not going to do anything you say," he managed to tell the foul-smelling man.

 

He heard him growl as the cold barrel of the gun was thrust into his right temple.  "Have it your way, then; I'll find him myself."  He couldn't help the adrenalin racing through him, or the trembling of his body, as he waited to die.  His last thought as he shut his eyes tightly was of the family he loved...and of Brian.  Their heartbreak was the one thing he would regret.  Suddenly, however, a voice permeated the stillness of the night.

 

"Let him go, McComb.  I'm right here." 

 

The barrel of the gun was slowly removed as Justin heaved a sigh of relief; the relief was only temporary, however, as the man turned both of them around to face Jared, who was standing near the back of the gate approximately 10 feet away. 

 

McComb lowered the gun, but continued to grip it in his right hand and hold Justin tightly against his stomach as he turned to face the target of his hunt.  "Well, well, well...look who we have here.  I admit, though, Taylor, you surprised me by coming out of the barn instead of the house. Too bad you didn't have enough sense to leave altogether before it was too late."

 

Jared was terrified inside, but his fear and concern for his younger brother superseded that as he told the man, "Let him go, I said.  He has nothing to do with this."

 

"He has _everything_ to do with this!" McComb countered.  "If your little friend hadn't botched the job with your brother and snitched on me, I wouldn't even be here." 

 

Jared slowly approached McComb, afraid to make any abrupt moves for fear it would set him off. He had no doubt the man would kill him on the spot without any hesitation; what he needed to do was somehow buy time. At least enough time to allow his brother to escape unharmed.  Deep down, though, he knew the man wouldn't leave anyone alive that could be a witness.  If only he had been able to arm himself. But out in the barn, the only possible instrument to protect himself - which at best might have been a hunting knife kept on one of the wooden shelves next to the family's fishing gear - would have been no match for this man's weapon.  "It's me you want, McComb.  Justin doesn't have anything to do with this."

 

"I told you!" McComb hissed. "He has everything to do with this!  The only question is...who do I get rid of first?" 

 

The two brothers' eyes locked on each other; each echoing both the fear - and love - for each other in that one look, along with a degree of desperation. 

 

"I think I'll take you out first," McComb decided, knowing Justin couldn't go anywhere while he held him at gunpoint in his grip; he didn't work out on a regular basis for nothing, and this slip of a boy would be no match for him - or his gun.  Aiming his gun straight at Jared, he pulled the trigger back.  "You've been a thorn in my fucking side for too long now."

 

"No...." Jared whispered, frozen now with fear. He knew he had nowhere to go. 

 

In an act born of his desperation, Justin suddenly raised his right leg and slammed his heel down on the man's instep before he had a chance to pull the trigger; McComb howled in pain and loosened his grip, just enough for Justin to break free from the clutches.

 

A few seconds later, a gunshot reverberated throughout the countryside, echoing loudly in the valley.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	32. A Father's Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A gunshot changes everyone's lives in an instant.

Both brothers jumped at the unexpected, booming sound they recognized as a shotgun, watching in shock as the man who had just been pointing a revolver at Jared - and had threatened to kill Justin along with him - suddenly crumpled to the ground in a heap, his face frozen in an expression of profound surprise.  The gun fell from his now useless fingers as he lay there on his back, his legs folded underneath him, and his unfocused eyes staring up into the moonlit, star-laden sky.  They heard a few raspy breaths come from the man's chest before the sound ceased, signaling that McComb was apparently dead.

 

"Holy..."  Jared's mouth hung open in stunned disbelief.  Both he and Justin's hearts were beating furiously over their narrow escape from death as they looked around for the source of the shot.  It had echoed so much that they weren't sure _where_ it had originated, but they were extremely grateful.  "What...what the hell happened?" Jared managed to ask breathlessly as Justin shook his head in response.

 

"I...I don't know," he whispered, peering down at McComb's body.  Just then, the back door swung open and their father charged out, and they instantly had their answer:  he was still clutching the 22 in his hands as he hurried over to the stranger now lying on the stone walkway leading from the gate to the back door.  He hadn't known for sure who the man was; but when he had heard voices from below his and Jennifer's bedroom window - and had seen him threatening his sons with imminent danger - he had acted instinctively, grabbing the shotgun from underneath the bed and immediately firing a shot at the man through the open window as soon as he knew Justin was out of harm's way. 

 

Kicking the revolver further away from the man to make sure his sons were completely out of danger now, he uncocked the weapon and placed the shotgun on the ground a few feet away.  "Are you two all right?" he asked them, his own heart thudding frantically against his chest.  He had never thought he would have to use his past experience at skeet shooting for this sort of use - disliking hunting, the activity his father-in-law had mainly used the gun for - but he silently thanked God that he had acquired that particular hobby when he and Jen had been younger. He was also grateful that he had proven to be good at it, or when he most needed to have an accurate aim, he wouldn't have been successful.   He somehow knew he would only have one chance to save his sons - and one chance had been all it had taken.  He noticed Justin just standing there ashen-faced as Jared walked over to them.  "Justin?" Craig called out quietly to his son with mounting concern as he peered at both of them.  "You okay?  Your mom's on the phone, calling 911 to tell Billy to get back out here." 

 

Jared nodded grimly, his heart still beating fast from their brush with death.  "Dad...it was McComb," he told his father as Craig nodded.

 

"I suspected as much," he told him as he peered down at the lifeless body. "Well...he won't hurt either of you anymore."  He creased his brow with worry as Justin continued to stand there motionless.  "Justin? Son, say something.  You're all right now."  He wondered if his youngest son was going into shock.

 

Justin swallowed hard.  The tumble from his horse had been nothing compared to this.  He trembled at the thought of how close he and his brother had come to being killed.  How could anyone be so ruthless as to snuff out two lives merely for the sake of money and greed?  But the man had already killed someone else - Dale - so he really shouldn't have been surprised.  He looked from McComb and then back over at his father, realizing he had saved his and Jared's lives.  "Dad..." he finally spoke at last.  "He...he..." He couldn't say anything else; he was too shaken up.  His father pulled him into an embrace and hugged him tightly, feeling his younger son trembling in his arms. 

 

"Shh...It's okay now.  You're going to be just fine," he whispered, his arms holding him securely.  It had been a long time since he had held Justin this way - he had been a pre-teen at the time, and had just witnessed the stillborn birth of a foal, which had upset him greatly - but he knew his son needed his comfort at the moment; _both_ of them.  He continued to hug his son, until at last they pulled slightly apart; Craig kept one hand on his son's shoulder as he extended his other hand out toward his oldest son.  He knew despite Jared's air of being impervious to everything, below the surface there still existed a young man who needed reassurance.  He watched his son hesitate for a moment before he walked closer to him and allowed himself to be pulled against his father's body.  Craig held both sons tightly against him as he silently thanked God for sparing both of them, and for being in the right place at the right time.  For as long as he lived, he vowed no one would hurt his sons. 

* * *

 

_Five Minutes Earlier - Walker Farm_

Brian's eyes flew open as a gunshot sounded and he heard what appeared to be Solomon barking a few seconds later, his heart thumping madly in his chest in response to the sound.  _What the hell?_   He immediately bolted upright from the bed, all kinds of horrifying thoughts rushing through his head, as he hurried to grab whatever jeans and shirt he could find and, taking just long enough to slide his feet into his sneakers nearby, he was out his bedroom door and rushing down the steps helter-skelter within seconds, unmindful of possibly awakening his aunt and uncle.  A couple of seconds later, the back door slammed behind him and he was running at a full sprint toward Windswept Farm, his mind only on one thing:  getting to Justin as soon as he could to make sure the boy he loved so deeply was unharmed.

 

"Brian!" He heard his uncle calling him a few seconds later from his upstairs window - no doubt having heard him rushing outside - but he didn't even acknowledge his presence.  He felt like his lungs were about to explode in his chest as he continued to run toward the white farmhouse now coming closer and closer to him.  He thought he could make out figures standing near the back gate as he approached, his eyes squinting to try and make out who they were.  Was one of them Justin?  He wasn't ashamed to admit that at the moment he was the only one on his mind.   

 

"Justin!" he shouted frantically as he neared the farmhouse, his arms pumping rapidly back and forth as he continued to head toward the Taylor's back gate.  He had never run so fast in his life - not even during high school track - but he had never had such a vital reason, either.  "Justin!" he urgently called out the younger boy's name again.

 

"He's okay," Brian heard someone reply at last, recognizing Craig's voice clearly in the nighttime quiet. There was someone else lying on the ground next to them, still and lifeless...but he could tell it wasn't Justin.  He let out the breath he had been holding in as he finally got close enough to recognize Craig standing next to Justin and Jared, his arms around both boys. 

 

It seemed at that moment that Justin suddenly woke up from an extended sleep, as he pulled away from his father's side to rush toward Brian.  "Brian!" he shouted at him, running through the open gate to crash into the other boy's body. Brian wrapped him tightly against his taller frame, and slid his arms around Justin's back to hold him close as Justin did the same, seeking the warmth and familiar touch of his lover. Brian could feel Justin's heart thumping against his chest, and the slender body shaking in his arms, indicating to him how upset he was. But that also meant that Justin was alive.  He was _alive._

 

Craig watched the interplay between the two boys, unsurprised by how tightly his son was holding onto the Walkers' nephew.  He felt just a temporary twinge of what could have been jealousy before he realized this other boy was what Justin needed right now.  He turned to peer at his older son as he released him, keeping a light touch on Jared's upper arm as if to anchor them together.  "Are you okay?" he asked him. 

 

Jared let out a deep breath before nodding, glancing over at his younger brother and Kinney, who were still holding each other.  "Yeah," he told his father shakily, still trying to come to terms with what had just happened.  It was almost as if he had been watching a suspense movie - except that he knew this had been all too real. "Yeah, I'm okay...now."  He licked his dry lips to wet them and studied the shotgun lying nearby on the ground before turning his attention back to his father.  "How...how did you know?"

 

Still in each other's arms, Brian and Justin turned their faces to stare over at Justin's father as he explained, "You know how hot it can get in the house during the night when it stays muggy.  Your mom and I had the windows up to let some air into the room, so it wasn't hard to hear you talking right below us."  He carded his fingers through his sleep-tousled hair as he added, "I just never thought I'd wind up doing what I did."  He had never hurt anyone physically; let alone killed someone, not even an animal in a hunt. But this man had given him no choice, and he had acted instantly without really thinking. 

 

"Justin! Jared!" Jennifer called out to them, as she hurriedly opened up the screen door coming from the kitchen and ran out to them.  "Oh, my God!" she cried out in horror, as she looked down at the man lying on the ground nearby, a small puddle of blood surrounding him as his eyes stared straight ahead, seeing nothing.  She rushed over to Jared, who, despite his age, threw himself into his mother's arms. Finally feeling secure enough, the tears began to fall freely with no move or pretense to appear stoic.  "Mom...Mom...he was going to _kill_ me!" 

 

Jennifer rocked her son gently back and forth in her arms, her hands making light up-and-down movements on Jared's back, just like she used to comfort him when he was a child.  "It's okay," he told him softly.  "Everything's going to be okay."  She glanced over at Justin, who was currently being held by Brian, and knew he, too, was seeking comfort.  Oddly enough, it didn't bother her that it was Brian he had gravitated to; at that moment, she just felt extreme gratitude that both her sons were all right, and that Craig had had the presence of mind to grab her father's shotgun out from under the bed and shoot the bastard.  "Justin, are you all right, Honey?" she asked her other son.  She watched him lift his head from where he had it tucked under Brian's chin, and silently nod before burrowing back deeper into the older boy's embrace.  She looked over at Craig to inform him, "The sheriff's on his way," as her husband nodded.

 

"Brian!"  Brian turned his head slightly at the sound of his uncle's voice, observing his aunt and uncle hurrying towards their group.  Will took one look at the scene several feet away - including the body lying on the ground - and immediately held his wife back from proceeding any further.  "Sarah...that is far enough." 

 

"Will, let me see..."  She insisted, aggravated that he was treating her like some delicate flower, and not understanding why she couldn't go any further; it was then that she noticed the body crumpled on the ground between the back gate and the Taylors' door.  "Dear God!" she gasped, clamping her right hand over her mouth in horror as she pulled up short and stood there in shock.  "What...He..."

 

"I shot him," Craig explained flatly.  "He was threatening my sons."  His jaw clenched in anger as he added, "Billy's men did a damn poor job of protecting them." 

 

Sarah's mouth opened into an ‘o' shape of disbelief and repulsion as she struggled to speak. "This is the man who...?" she began to say, but as she looked down at the body of the dark-haired stranger - the man who she sensed was the one responsible for her son's death - she couldn't finish. 

 

"Yeah," Craig answered her unspoken question.  "It's McComb, all right."  Impulsively he reached out with his boot and lightly kicked the man's leg to make sure he wouldn't somehow come back to life, satisfied when the man remained motionless. "Well, at least he's not going to do anymore harm to anyone ever again.  And I hope he rots in hell where he _belongs_!"  He peered first at Jared and then Justin as he stated in a quieter tone, "Billy's going to need to talk to both of you about what happened. But there's no reason why you need to stay out here in the meantime. Why don't you both come in the house while we wait for him?  You, too, Jen. And Sarah...you're welcome as well."  He figured Will could handle staying outside, although by the look on the man's face, he wasn't convinced that Will wouldn't pick his father-in-law's shotgun up and riddle McComb's body with more bullets, just to obtain some satisfaction of his own.  If he did, he couldn't say that he would blame him.

 

"Will..." Sarah clutched her husband's arm, averting her gaze from the man lying nearby.  She couldn't stand to see him, not only because of his present state, but also because she didn't want to look at the man who had been responsible for killing their son.

 

"Go on, Missy," her husband told her quietly.  "Craig and I will stay here until Billy arrives. I think the danger is over now." But his wife remained by his side, her eyes wide with concern.  "I'm okay, Sarah," he assured her, his eyes softening.  "Go now."

 

She hesitated until finally she nodded, turning to head toward the house with Jennifer following along behind her.  The boys, however, remained where they were as if they were shell shocked, the enormity of what had happened finally beginning to sink in.

 

"Jared...Justin...it's all right. Go on in with your mom."  This time, there was no indecision regarding whether or no Jared would be allowed back in the house; at that moment, the family's troubles where quite trivial and unimportant compared to what was going on now. 

 

"Dad..."

 

"No, Honey," Jennifer replied in response to Jared's voice as she stopped to stand next to him.  She squeezed his shoulder.  "Come in the house with me."  Her son seemed a little calmer now, but she knew he was shaken up inside. _Anyone would be after having such a close brush with death,_ she thought.  "Jared," she firmly called out his name; it was the voice she always used when she wouldn't take no for an answer.  This was her child, her flesh and blood.  Just like her husband, she wanted to protect both her boys. "Come inside," she softly repeated.

 

Jared let out a tense breath before he finally nodded; Jennifer slid her arm around his waist as she looked over at her youngest son.  Justin was still standing next to Brian, who had his arm around his shoulders as they stood side by side, their bodies lightly touching.  She knew that Justin was deriving a great deal of security from the other boy, and she strongly suspected he would not want to leave him.  "Brian...Justin?" she called over to them.  "Come in the house with us. Please." 

 

Just as she suspected, Justin peered up into Brian's eyes, seeking confirmation that he would remain with him.  "I'm not going anywhere," Brian told him firmly.  They would have to physically pry him away from Justin to separate them.  

 

"In a minute, Mom," Justin responded. She paused for a moment before finally nodding, turning to head into the house. 

 

"Jared?"

 

Jared turned to face his brother with a quizzical expression on his face.  "Yeah?"

 

"Could I...talk to you for a minute?"

 

Jared turned to look at his mother, who nodded silently in agreement, before he stopped and headed back down the steps; this time over to the old oak tree that was situated several feet away from McComb's body.  He paused there near his brother, facing him and feeling surprised to realize he actually felt nervous for some reason as he brushed some hair back from his forehead.  "I'm...glad that you're okay," he finally told his brother softly before Justin could say anything. And he meant it.  Whether or not he could convince Justin of that, though, remained to be seen. 

 

Justin nodded, Brian's arm lightly resting around his shoulders as if to support him.  Jared had noticed the older boy had practically been glued to him ever since he had rushed over from the Walkers' farm.  "Me, too," Justin responded.

 

Jared nodded.  "You...You probably saved my life," he told him.  "If you hadn't stalled him when you did...and if you hadn't refused to take him to me, I would probably be dead right now."  He paused before half-smiling.  "And you were pretty fucking amazing before, when you stepped on his foot, and he let you go.  If you hadn't gotten away from him, Dad would have never shot him, because he would have been afraid of hurting _you_.  And nothing would have stopped that bastard from carrying out his plans."  He shuddered as he realized how close he had come to being a dead man.  "Thank you, Justin," he whispered hoarsely, suddenly choked up with emotion.  It was surprising how much life flashed before your eyes when you were staring straight down the barrel of a gun that was aimed at you. 

 

Justin felt inexplicably embarrassed; after all, it wasn't every day you saved someone's life, not that he had really done that. But it _had_ provided their father with just enough time to get off one, accurate, life-or-death shot.  "It was Dad who did that," he murmured back at him.

 

Jared studied his younger brother for a few moments, wondering when he had suddenly grown up so much.  It seemed he had done that virtually overnight.  He wondered how much of that was due to the Kinney boy standing so protectively next to him.  For whatever reason, though, he realized Justin was no longer just some kid to toss aside or ignore.  "Well...Dad wouldn't have had a chance to take his shot if you hadn't diverted his attention."

 

A ghost of a smile appeared on Justin's lips then. "Yeah, well, I had practice," he told him.  "Remember that horse from the Stewart Farm?" 

 

Jared's mouth hung open in realization.  "Yeah...he got you good that day."  The horse had inadvertently stepped on his insole before a race, back in the stables, when a rat had scampered out suddenly from one of the side walls, and spooked him. It had hurt like crazy, too.  Perhaps that had been his inspiration for what he had done earlier.

 

Justin nodded.  "Yeah...Right where I let McComb have it, because I knew it would hurt like a motherfucker." Brian eyed him curiously, silently vowing to ask Justin more about that later.

 

Jared eyed his brother quietly before he asked him, "When did you get to be so smart...Squirt?" 

 

Justin smiled.  "I always was... _Sport,"_ he reciprocated in kind.  "You just didn't notice." 

 

Jared peered over at him before he finally nodded. "Yeah," he agreed softly.  "I guess I didn't." There was a mixture of regret, along with a new found respect, in his voice as he added, "Well, whatever your inspiration was for it, I'm glad you thought of it, or I might be over there where McComb is lying."  He stared over at the man's lifeless body, his eyes fixed upward in a glassy stare as they gazed into space.  There was no doubt that McComb was dead, and he didn't feel one bit of regret over it, either; just like their father had said, the man deserved to rot in hell. 

 

Justin shifted awkwardly.  "Jared...you didn't have to come out of the barn when you heard me and McComb.  You could have just stayed in there. I wouldn't have taken him to you, no matter what happened.  Why did you do that?  You had to know he was after _you,_ not me.  That was pretty brave of you to speak up like you did; if you hadn't...he would have never known you were there, and you could have run off before he even noticed."    

 

Jared peered over at him in stunned disbelief.  "But I would have KNOWN!" he exclaimed, shaking his head.  _How could he make him understand_?  "Justin, you're my _brother_!  Do you really think I could just hide out in the barn while you were in danger, or run off and leave you here?  I...No matter what's happened - or what a dick I've been - I couldn't let anything happen to you.  I..."  He couldn't quite push out the "I love you" that he wanted to say, but he hoped nonetheless that Justin somehow heard it anyway.  It used to be they were so close, they would instinctively know what the other was about to say; almost to the point where it was like they could reach each other's minds.  Hopefully, a tendril of that was still there.  "You'll always be my little brother," he finally murmured helplessly in explanation. Glibness had never been one of his strongpoints.  "That will never change."  _And I'll always feel the need to protect you_ , he added silently, suddenly feeling very vulnerable at the moment.

 

Justin walked a little closer toward his brother as Brian reluctantly dropped his hand to his side, choosing to remain silent as he listened intently to their conversation.   

 

Justin reached over to grasp his brother's wrist.  "And you'll always be my big brother," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly.  Despite everything that had happened the past several weeks, he had missed Jared.  He had missed being able to confide in him, teasing him, even fighting with him.  Well, to some extent.  Perhaps squabbling was a better term.  He had never doubted that Jared loved him.  Not really. But it was good to see and hear clear evidence of that.  He shook his head wryly.  "Asshole," he muttered affectionately. 

 

Jared smirked at him.  "But I'll always be the _older_ -and best - asshole you've ever met." 

 

Justin grinned.  "For once we are in complete agreement there."  He hesitated for a moment before the two brothers abruptly met for an impromptu embrace, both brothers' arms wrapping tightly around each other before they let go after a few moments. 

 

From his vantage point - and by virtue of the bright moonlight, and the back porch lights now shining out onto the backyard - Brian watched as Jared briefly closed his eyes as if in relief before he opened them. Their gaze met as a silent message passed between them.  Brian nodded curtly at him with grudging respect for what Jared had done before the brothers pulled back from each other.  He still didn't quite trust Jared. But for once he had to admit he was grateful for what he had done, because if he hadn't made his presence known before, the boy he had grown to love so deeply might not be standing here with him right now. 

 

Jared cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed as he changed the subject slightly. "Well, at least the Walkers have some kind of justice now," he commented, as he turned back around to look at his brother and Brian. 

 

"Maybe some justice," Brian spoke up then at last.  "But they'll never have what they really want:  their son back." 

 

Jared nodded.  "No," he whispered, his voice tinged with regret; regret over any envy he might have felt toward Dale's success, and most of all, regret that he had been unable to prevent Doug's part in both that, as well as his brother's injuries.  He let out a tense breath.  "I'm...going to head in," he told them, suddenly feeling extremely weary.  "You coming?" he asked his brother, somehow knowing what his answer would be before he said anything.

 

"In a while," Justin told him as he glanced up at Brian.  "I...think I'll take a walk; clear my head. I'll let Dad know." 

 

Jared nodded again as he turned and quietly walked up the stone pathway to the back steps, entering the house a few seconds later as the screen door banged loudly in his wake. 

 

Justin leaned into Brian's side as Brian's arm slid tighter around his waist.  "Want some company?" Brian asked, his breath warm against Justin's ear as he spoke.  Justin nodded with a smile, his face warming. 

 

"Stay here," Brian urged him in a whisper, wanting to keep an eye on him. "I'll tell your father and my Uncle Will."  Justin nodded back once more as Brian left to walk over to the two men who were quietly conversing near the scene of the shooting.  He had to clear his voice to be detected, as Justin's father and his uncle both turned to peer over at him expectantly.

 

"Uh...I just wanted you to know that Justin and I are going to take a walk. We won't go far," he assured them, figuring Justin's father might not be too keen just yet on his youngest son being out of his sight. 

 

To his relief, Justin's father studied him for a few seconds before seemingly coming to a decision as he finally nodded in agreement.  "All right. But be careful," he advised him.  The silent admonition that he'd better take good care of Justin was clearly heard in the tone of his father's voice as Brian solemnly nodded.   "And don't stay away too long; I'm sure Billy will want to talk to Justin about all this."

 

"Yes, Sir, we won't. And I'll keep a close eye on him. You have my word," Brian added after a slight hesitation.  Craig nodded curtly as he watched him turn and walk back over to Justin, noticing him deliberately steering his son away from where McComb's body lay as they walked to the gate, and Brian opened it for him. 

 

Both men silently watched them go, studying the two figures as they reached over after a few moments to clasp each other's hands almost instinctively as they began to slowly walk down the shared dirt road between their two farms.  They knew the relative serenity of the moment would soon be interrupted by the garish sight and sound of Billy's car, along with other various law enforcement personnel, converging upon the scene of the shooting.  But for now, only their breathing and the various sounds typically heard during the night - hundreds of crickets, tree frogs, an occasional mooing from one of the cows up in the pasture, or a lonely-sounding train whistle - could be detected.  It was both comforting as well as surreal, knowing what had happened just a short time ago. 

 

Craig let out a deep breath as he continued to observe them.  "Your nephew is very protective of my son," he commented. 

 

Will nodded as he, too, studied the two silhouettes that had become almost inseparable over the past few weeks - one tall and lanky, the other shorter and slender.  "Yes, he is." He continued to watch them as he told Craig, "He shot out of our house like a rocket when he heard your gun go off; got here well before Sarah and I could, and didn't pay us any mind when we shouted at him not to leave.  I don't think even the largest fence in the world would have kept him from coming over here to check on him, though."  He turned back to look over at his neighbor.  "Brian is very... _taken_ with your boy."  He half-smiled.  "Don't know if that's for the best in the long run, seein' as Justin's planning to go to college. But I also don't think there's any way to keep them apart now." 

 

Craig had to smile slightly back at him as he nodded, glancing once more at the slowly retreating figures underneath the bright moonlight that abruptly reappeared from behind a cloud.  "No, I don't rightly think there is." He paused.  "So Brian's definitely staying here with you?" 

 

Will nodded.  "Seems so.  I think this is the best place for him now."  He thought back to when his nephew had first arrived, feeling the boy was definitely a fish out of water, and nothing but a troublemaker.  But now...now even HE felt Brian was where he belonged, and with _whom_ he belonged.  He never thought he would ever feel that way, but now it felt... _right_.  "Not sure what his future holds for him," he felt the need to add.  "But he's welcome to stay with us as long as he wants." 

 

Craig nodded in response.  Sighing, he replied, "Well, first we have to take care of _this_."  He pressed his lips tightly together as he stared down at McComb.  "I never thought I would ever have to use that old gun to take a life.  But in this case, I can't say that I'm sorry."  He eyed the still body with repulsion; no one threatened his boys.  NO one.  Deciding he didn't care to be in the man's presence any longer, he suggested to Will, "Why don't we go sit on the porch?  I reckon Billy will be here soon enough - and _he's_ not going anywhere now." 

 

Will nodded as the two men turned and headed back up the stone walkway to the back porch, Will reaching inside his denim pocket to fish out a pipe he carried with him.  He had tried to keep from using it over the past several weeks, mainly due to Sarah's gentle chiding that it wasn't good for his health, but tonight he felt the need to use it.  Taking a seat in one of the wicker chairs next to Craig, he lit it up, the aromatic smell wafting into the chilly, night air, figuring it would be some time before any of them were able to get any more sleep - if at all.

 

* * *

 

Neither boy said anything as they continued to walk along the dirt road so clearly illuminated by the moonlight. The full moon cast the entire area in so much light, it was akin to daybreak.  Despite what had happened earlier, Brian had to smile in recollection as a thought occurred to him and he finally spoke up.  "You know what this reminds me of?" he asked softly.

 

Justin shook his head as they slowly shuffled down the road.  "What?" 

 

The two of them stopped in the middle of the road, halfway between the Taylors' farmhouse and Brian's aunt and uncle's.  "That night when we visited the cows...and I decided to showcase my singing talent." 

 

Justin smiled wistfully at the memory.  "Neither of which you were very good at, as I recall." 

 

Brian peered at him in mock insult.  "Hey!" he replied indignantly, hoping to earn a genuine smile from Justin.  But he didn't quite succeed; too much had happened tonight. "Yeah, maybe you're right," he admitted.  "I don't remember too much about what happened that night after drinking that shit that Dale had concocted.  But I _do_ remember one thing very vividly that both of us were really good at."  He gently grasped Justin's shoulders so they were facing each other as Justin slowly lifted his gaze to stare into his eyes.

 

"You do?"  Justin whispered, knowing full well what Brian meant; he recalled it quite accurately.  In fact, he would never forget it, just as he would never forget any moment he spent with him.

 

Brian nodded as he leaned in closer.  "Yeah...let me refresh your memory," he offered, as he tentatively pressed his lips to the other boy's, hearing Justin sigh in pleasure as they began to kiss.  Their arms wound around each other then as the kiss deepened, lips opening to allow their tongues to duel.  Brian grasped the back of Justin's neck to angle his head and kiss him passionately as he pulled him even more tightly against his body, feeling like he could die right now and never be any happier than he was at that moment.  It was an odd realization in a way, knowing what had just occurred a short time ago. But knowing that the danger that had been facing the boy he loved more than his own life had now passed with McComb's death made his heart beat joyously, grateful that nothing had happened to Justin, and that he was here, with him, warm and full of life.  As usual, whenever they kissed - or even when he held Justin - it brought out feelings in him the likes of which he had never experienced before; it both scared him, but also grounded him, and made him feel whole.  It made him feel important and needed.  It made him feel loved. 

 

Reluctantly - more to catch his breath than anything - Brian pulled back from their kiss to gaze into the bright blue eyes of his lover, his heart pounding at the sight of him.  Justin's hair was gleaming in the moonlight, his eyes a wonder of colorful prisms, as he stared up into Brian's face, short pants of breath escaping through partly open, kiss-swollen lips. He took his breath away all over again, and the words flew out of his mouth almost involuntarily then:  "You are so fucking beautiful," he murmured.  Even though the moonlight washed out the color of their complexions, he was sure at that moment that his lover was blushing.  

 

"Brian..." Justin whispered in protest.  "I'm...You're..."

 

"You are," Brian insisted in response.  "God, I love you so fucking much. If anything ever happened to you..." He shook his head at the thought. If that ever occurred, he wouldn't want to live, either.

 

Justin's heart caught in his throat as he reached up with his right hand to gently place his fingers over Brian's mouth to stop him from saying anything more.  He would never grow tired of Brian's heartfelt words - or the way that Brian was looking at him right now.  It sustained him; it made him whole, and made him want to conquer the world.  He forced the knowledge from his mind that one day they would have to part, deciding, instead, to concentrate on the here and now.  There would be time later to contemplate the heartbreak he was sure would follow when that happened as he slid his hands up to link behind Brian's neck.  "I love you, too," he whispered back.  "So much...You...you make me feel so...special." 

 

Brian smiled at him tenderly.  "You ARE special...Farm Boy." 

 

Justin grinned then, unable to help it; he hadn't heard Brian use that nickname in a long time, but he didn't mind it. He liked it, because it brought back some more good memories between the two of them.  "I could call YOU that now, too, you know."

 

Brian scoffed, but he knew it was true.  "I am not, nor will I ever be, a _farm boy_.  That sounds so... _rural."_

Justin considered that.  "Rural.  That's different.  Yeah...I don't think I would ever call you _rural_."  Brian rolled his lips under in reaction.  "Well, if it helps any, you're the sexiest farm boy I've ever seen." 

 

"No," was the surprising answer as Justin peered up at him curiously for an explanation.  "YOU are."  His voice was husky and velvety as he stared into Justin's eyes, uncaring or unseeing of anything or anyone nearby. 

 

Justin couldn't help smiling back at him.  "You are such a flirt, Brian Kinney."  He chuckled then at Brian's look of indignation as he quickly added, "But that's a good thing.  You know just the right words to say."

 

Brian gazed into his eyes, relieved to finally see a smile appear on Justin's face.  "They're not just ‘words,' Justin," he replied quietly, feeling like his heart would explode at that moment.  This must be what it felt like to be in love, he decided.  He had never been in love before, but it was like...like being on a roller coaster with only the exhilarating highs and none of the lows.  It was like the rush he received when he was drag racing in the most powerful of all race cars, and no one could beat him. It was almost damn near indescribable. But even HE knew it was the real thing.  "I mean all of it."

 

Justin nodded, a lump in his throat, as he caressed the back of Brian's hair with his fingers.  The sound of a siren in the distance, growing louder and louder, reminded both boys that the night was not over yet, and there was some unfinished business yet that needed attention. 

 

Sighing, Brian told him, "We'd better get back to your house.  I'm sure that's Billy arriving, and he'll be looking for you.  I promised your father," he added softly, his hands coming back around to grip either side of Justin's neck as the blue eyes peered up at him. 

 

Justin smiled in understanding, disappointed that they wouldn't be able to spend more time alone together, but secretly pleased that Brian was trying to stay in good graces with his father.  He nodded as Brian once more took his hand and they headed back toward Windswept Farm.


	33. Brian's Secret Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian's aunt and uncle discover his new hobby, bringing strong emotions to the surface. What will their reactions be?

  

_One Week Later..._

Brian sat in the seat of Dale's sulky, shaking his head.  "I just don't get it," he murmured in shock.  "I didn't even come close to you this time!"  He looked down at True Blue, who turned his head and stared back at him with his dark, luminous eyes like some innocent man wrongly accused of a crime. 

 

Justin grinned back at him with what Brian considered a decidely cocky expression on his face.  "Well, as they say, you win some...you lose some."

 

Brian's mouth hung open, too stunned to utter a complete sentence. "But..."

 

Justin smiled. All vestiges of his previous fall had disappeared, and for once in quite a while he felt more like himself.  All his injuries had healed, and his father was now working regularly, which had taken quite a load from his shoulders.  And to top it off, he and his brother were getting along better, and Billy was confident that at last all the men connected with the gambling ring who were responsible for Dale's death and his own injuries had been rounded up and confined.  And as if THAT weren't enough, he had a gorgeous boy in love with him.  A boy who was presently staring at him in disbelief. "Brian, I've trained for years to get where I am.  You're good," he had to admit.  "But that first time was a fluke.  Plus, I wasn't at my best then."

 

"Humph," was the indignant reply as Justin covered his mouth to try and keep from laughing.  "Well, THAT's a fucking shot to my ego," he muttered.  Justin finally couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips.  "Hey, I find no humor in this, Farm Boy!  You just beat my ass by at least four or five lengths!" 

 

Justin deftly hopped down from his own sulky seat to walk over to his opponent, his helmet clutched in his hand.  "Well, I suppose I _could_ offer you a consolation prize for being such a good sport," he offered helpfully, a twinkle in his eye. 

 

Brian couldn't be too irritated over his poor showing as he gazed over at the sparkling, blue eyes.  Besides, getting a ‘consolation prize' from his beautiful lover didn't sound too bad, even if he DID have to eat crow.  "What _sort_ of consolation prize?" he couldn't help asking with a lift of his eyebrow.

 

"Come down here, and I'll give you a clue," was the saucy response as Justin dropped his helmet down onto the ground with a soft thud. 

 

Brian grinned as he climbed down from the sulky, placing his helmet on the seat as he faced the younger boy.  "You have helmet hair," he told Justin as he ruffled his hair affectionately and smiled.  "Now, what was that about a consolation prize?" 

 

Justin grinned back at him as he placed his hands on Brian's shoulders.  "Well, we can start with this."  Standing on tiptoe, he pressed his lips to Brian's as Brian slid his arms around the other boy's back to press them closer together.  The restless shuffling of True Blue nearby - who was still attached to the sulky - was briefly ignored while the two continued to kiss; it was as if they had been apart for weeks, rather than for just a few hours while both boys had had to complete some chores earlier around their respective farms.  As soon as they had finished, however, Brian had hurried over to the stables to meet up with Justin and undergo some more practice racing, something his aunt and uncle still were not aware of. 

 

"Hmm...I think I can accept being a loser, if I get _that_ sort of consolation prize," Brian murmured a little breathlessly as they finally broke apart.  He smiled at his younger lover.  "I'm ready to go again," he told Justin, his eyes shining enthusiastically.  "I have tons of _stamina._ "

 

Justin blushed at the insinuation, pointedly ignoring what Brian probably meant as he replied, "Brian...I don't think this is the best place to...you know..."

 

"Not that!" Brian replied with a laugh.  "I mean do some more practicing.  I don't care HOW much more experience you have; I plan on whipping your ass again."  For emphasis, he reached around and smacked Justin on his butt. 

 

"Hey!" Justin growled in mock indignation.  "I have to sit on that!" 

 

Brian leaned in to whisper in his ear, "You can sit on me anytime...and ride something else."

 

Justin turned an even deeper shade of red at the thought; that was one position they hadn't tried yet, but it wasn't that he hadn't thought about it in his dreams.  "Brian..." he murmured in embarrassment, knowing how the older boy adored making him blush.  "I didn't mean sex," he told him softly.  "I was talking about going back out on the track.  The horses need to cool down. Sorry, but that's all for today, Speed Racer." 

 

Brian grinned.  "Oh... _that_."  He pressed their bodies closer, making Justin's breath hitch as their denim-clad cocks brushed together.  He was hard merely from Brian's touch, and the sound of his deep, silky voice.  After all, he was only a teenager, and his hormones were raging...especially around this particular boy.  "But now that you mention it..."

 

"Brian!" Justin placed his palm against Brian's chest to give him a little more room.  "We can't do that here out in the open."

 

"There's always the silo...or the swimming hole." 

 

Justin laughed.  "You don't give up, do you?"  He shook his head in amusement as Brian rolled his lips under playfully.  "Did you not listen to anything I said?  Come on, let's unhook the horses.  With your new hobby comes the responsibility, too."

 

The other boy sighed.  "I knew there was a down side," he lamented as he followed Justin over to True Blue to unhitch him from the sulky; both boys separated the horse from the apparatus, and then repeated the same procedure with Headstrong.  "At least the view is good," Brian commented, as he and True Blue followed along behind Justin and his horse toward the front of the stables, the other boy's ass tantalizingly outlined in his tight jeans as he walked. 

 

Justin giggled as he waited for Brian to catch up.  "I'm glad you can see the positive side of things," he teased him back. 

 

As they began to lead the horses around to the front, Brian stopped in his tracks, his previous joviality transforming into an anxious expression.

 

"What?" Justin asked with concern; his eyes followed Brian's to see what he was observing. His eyes grew wide as he realized the cause of the older boy's anxiety. "Uh, oh. Looks like that conversation you were avoiding can't be avoided any longer." 

 

Brian's uncle was standing near the edge of his property, a hoe in his hand and a scowl on his face.  He stood there, staring at them from underneath his faded ball cap, before he finally turned around and resumed his hoeing as if nothing unordinary had occurred.   

 

"Damn," Brian muttered.  "Looks like I waited a little too long to tell them what I've been doing in my spare time."  He exhaled an apprehensive breath, and rubbed his head nervously.  Despite all the headway he and his aunt and uncle had made lately regarding their relationship, anything having to do with Dale was still a touchy subject.

 

"You think he saw what you were doing?" Justin asked. 

 

"I'd lay odds on it," he told Justin tersely as he watched his uncle walk over to stow the gardening utensil in the back of his small trailer before he hopped up on his old tractor and started it up. After a few seconds, it began to proceed back toward the Walkers' barn. 

 

"I'll take True Blue back to the stables...but then I guess I'd better go face the music, so to speak."  He sighed, threading his fingers through his damp hair to fluff it back out. "I guess I knew it was inevitable he would see me." He patted True Blue's neck as if he were trying to calm himself instead of the horse.  "Come on, fella," he softly urged the horse as the two boys slowly walked their horses back to the front of the stable.

 

A few minutes later, they stood facing each other directly outside the open stable doors.  "Want me to go with you?" Justin offered.  "I can tell him it was my idea.  It was, after all." 

 

Brian shook his head.  "Thanks. But no, you didn't make me fix up Dale's sulky and learn how to use it.  That was my idea.  And it was a damn good one, too," he told his lover.  He smiled at him tenderly.  "I fucking love it."  He glanced over toward the side of the stables, figuring he knew what was waiting on the other side of the fence.   "Well, if they kick me out, at least I'll be able to afford to stay somewhere else now, thanks to my uncle."

 

"Don't even say that!" Justin exclaimed with alarm.  "They won't do that; they love you. They _want_ you to stay, remember?  So don't go jumping to conclusions."  He paused for a moment, swallowing hard at the thought of being separated from the boy he cared so deeply about.  "Besides, I don't know what I would do if you weren't close by."  He averted his gaze, suddenly feeling vulnerable and awkward.  It somehow made him a little uncomfortable to verbalize just how much having Brian so near meant to him.  Until Brian had come to live with his aunt and uncle, Justin hadn't really known what being in love and having someone to care about and protect you was all about. Well, not in the romantic sense, anyway.

 

Brian moved a little closer until he could place his hands on Justin's upper arms, causing Justin to slowly meet his gaze.  "You know, that's exactly how I'm going to feel when you go off to Vanderbilt next year." 

 

"That's months from now," Justin pointed out softly. But it wasn't as if he hadn't thought about the same thing himself - many times.  He didn't even want to think about it.  The thought of being separated from Brian almost made him not want to pursue his dream after all. But in the end, he knew he couldn't do that, and that Brian wouldn't want him to, either; his racing was part of his method for accomplishing his ultimate goal.  He never wanted to be a full-time sulky driver, no matter _how_ good he may be.  No, his goal was far away from here...TOO far.  He sighed at the thought, pressing his lips firmly together and telling himself that he would not become some weepy, little child.  But it was hard to ignore the lump in his throat that felt like someone had a knife pressed to his skin.  "Let's not think about that right now," he murmured. 

 

Brian stared into the sad face before he finally nodded in agreement.  "Okay. But we will have to one day."  He leaned in to give Justin a gentle kiss before he pulled back from him.  "I'll see you later."

 

"How later?  Tonight?" he asked hopefully.

 

Brian smiled.  "If I can...want me to borrow Checkers or a pair of your shoes to wake you up?"

 

Justin smiled back at him in remembrance.  "No...just watch your aim if it's after midnight."  Memories of small rock pebbles landing inside his room - and a shoe zooming past his feet - came to mind.

 

"I always watch my aim," he told his lover, who blushed in reaction.  With Brian, almost everything seemed to have sexual overtones.  "Wish me luck." 

 

"You know I do...but I'm sure you won't need it."  Justin tried to sound confident, but he wasn't sure if he was succeeding. Brian nodded as he turned and slowly shuffled off toward his aunt and uncle's farm. Justin watched him go until he was out of sight before - with a wiping of his hands on his jeans - he headed back toward the house.

 

* * *

_Ten Minutes Later...Walker Farm_

Sarah glanced up from her place on the back porch swing as she observed her husband walking purposefully toward her after parking his tractor in the barn; by his rigid gait - and the look of quiet determination on his face - she could tell he was obviously perturbed about something.  "Will?  What's going on?" she asked quietly as he approached.  "I thought you were going to be out at the blackberry bushes doing some weeding until supper." 

 

"I was," he told her tersely as he walked up to join her.  He noticed the crocheted blanket she had been working on for the past several days was almost completed as he told her, "I just saw our nephew doing something I never believed I would see." 

 

Sarah frowned.  "What do you mean?"

 

"I mean..."  Will could barely believe it, even still.  "He's driving, Sarah." 

 

"Driving?  I thought his license was revoked in court."

 

"I don't mean that kind of driving, Missy," Will growled a little more sharply than he had intended, making Sarah place her crochet project down on her lap and peer over at him in concern.  "I just saw him over at the Taylor farm."

 

Sarah smiled.  "That's not unusual.  He's always over there whenever he's done with his chores here."  Both of them knew the reason for it, also.

 

"It's not who he was with, or where he was," Will told her.  "It's what he was doing."  He took a deep breath before blowing it out to reveal, "He's driving a sulky, Sarah.  And I just checked out back.  Not only is he driving a sulky, our _Mr. Jack of all Trades_ has found a way to fix up our son's old sulky...because it's gone." 

 

Sarah's heart accelerated at the surprising news.  She fought to calm herself as she replied softly, "Dale's?"  Her husband nodded, his lips pressed together into a tight line.  "You're not happy about it," she stated quietly.

 

Will snorted at her understatement.  "Of _course_ I'm not!" His eyes flashed.  "I won't allow it, Sarah!" 

 

"Will...I'd be lying if I said it doesn't worry me. But it's not our choice to make.  Brian is old enough to make his own decisions."

 

"Are you crazy, woman?  Our boy was _killed_ using that sulky!  And now you're going to let our nephew risk the same thing?"

 

"William, don't use that tone of voice with me," Sarah rebuffed him quietly, her eyes flashing. She seldom raised her voice at her husband, but the tone in which she spoke instantly told him he was crossing a line.

 

"I'm sorry, Missy," he replied gruffly, taking his cap off his head and wiping his sweaty brow with the back of his cotton shirt sleeve.  "It's just that..."

 

"It's just you care about him...and you don't want anything to happen to him."

 

"Of course I don't!  But...why? Why would he do it?"

 

"I can't answer that, William.  We'll have to ask _him_."  She glanced up then, noticing the subject of their conversation shuffling toward them, his hands stuffed in his pockets.  "Looks like you're about to get your chance," she told him.  She cocked her head toward the dirt road leading from the Taylor farm.  Noticing the firm set of her husband's jaw, she reached over to grasp his sleeve to get his attention.  "Listen to what he has to say, William," she told him softly.  "Don't prejudge him or overreact.  Trust him. And trust that he knows what he's doing."

 

Will's eyes bored into his nephew's, watching as Brian hesitated briefly when he noticed both him and Sarah sitting on the back porch before he continued toward them. He observed him quietly reach to unlatch the back gate, taking time to close it firmly before heading toward them.

 

"Supper will be ready soon, Brian," his aunt told him by way of greeting, her hands occupied once more with her crochet work.  She did it partly due to a need to keep busy, but also as a way to calm herself. "I have a pot roast in the crock pot that should be ready soon.  I hope you brought your appetite home with you." 

 

Brian nodded as he stole a glance at his sullen-looking uncle.  "Yes, Ma'am.  Sounds good."  He nervously shifted back and forth on his feet, waiting for the shoe to drop that he knew was coming.  He didn't have long to wait. 

 

"I saw you, Brian," Will stated it in such a quiet voice that it made Brian initially wonder if he had really heard him say it.  "I saw what you were doing.  Why?  What were you thinking? Did you think you could keep it a secret from us?"  The more Will spoke, the louder his voice became, until Sarah felt the need to intercede.

 

"Will..." Reaching over to grip his arm, she was taken aback when her husband pulled his arm away from her. 

 

"No, I want an answer from him, Sarah."  He turned to his nephew, who was silently standing a few feet away, his hand gripping one of the porch's square, wooden posts.  "What gave you the right, Brian?" 

 

"I..." _Shit_.  Brian was finding this harder than he thought it would be.  Normally the only person he sometimes had problems speaking to was Justin, and it was usually when he felt the need to say something mushy to him, or voice his emotions aloud.  He still found it somewhat hard to express his feelings to him, but he was getting better at it, and he knew how much it meant to Justin. He wasn't sure that his improved comfort zone, however, was going to help in this particular situation.

 

"Yeah, I moved it," he finally admitted.  There wasn't any point in trying to lie about it; it was obvious now anyway. "I found it several weeks ago by accident, and I repaired it so it could be used again."  He paused, brushing his free hand through his hair.  No matter what happened, he wasn't going to throw Justin under the proverbial bus.  "It was just sitting there, being unused.  And Justin offered to show me how to drive it with True Blue, who seemed to take a liking to me.  I didn't think you really cared _what_ happened to it at this point."  As soon as he said that last part, however, he knew it had been a mistake; that apparatus symbolized much more than just a contraption of metal and rubber.  It was written all over his uncle's flushed face.

 

"We didn't care what happened to it?" Will retorted.  "Our son was KILLED in that sulky!  And the same thing could happen to _you_! You don't know what you're doing.  Why are you even doing it?  Your uncle's estate..."

 

Brian looked at him in disbelief.  "What the...? That has nothing to do with that, Uncle Will!  You think I'm doing it because I have these grand delusions about making money from it like Justin does?" 

 

"No, we don't," Sarah interjected, knowing full well her husband's motive.  "That's not the reason, Brian," she told him softly.  "Come over here and sit down next to us."  She was afraid for a moment that her nephew would refuse. But after a brief pause, she heard him let out a deep breath before walking over and plopping down onto their rattan wicker rocker, his body language abundantly broadcasting his distress.  She attempted a half-smile of reassurance at Brian before she explained, "Will doesn't care about the money. I think you know that."

 

"I didn't say that," Brian countered.  He knew these people lived modestly, and couldn't care less about their financial circumstances. That didn't mean that he did not intend to help them out at some point, however, unbeknownst to them. While the money from his uncle's estate would certainly make his life a lot easier - and his aunt and uncle's - as well as perhaps provide him with options in his life that he never thought he would have, basically it wasn't going to change how he lived, either.  "I know he doesn't."  He risked a glance over at his uncle, whose lips were pressed tightly together in agitation. 

 

Sarah reached over and took Brian's hand as she continued.  "Will and I both care about you," she began as her husband stared silently back at her.

 

"I know that," Brian told her softly. 

 

 She nodded in satisfaction as she got to the crux of their conversation.  "Good.  Well, then, I think you can figure out the real reason why your uncle is so upset; why we're _both_ concerned."

 

Brian swallowed before nodding back at her, his previous anger dissipated.  "Dale," was the one-word response.

 

Sarah nodded; her son's name and the reminder of his death still difficult for her to handle. But inexplicably it seemed even harder for her husband. It always had been, however.  "Yes," she replied.   "What made you decide to do it, Brian?"  Her voice held no accusation or judgment in it as she waited for her nephew's reason.

 

Brian sighed.  He did care a great deal about both his aunt and uncle.  He had come to respect how hard-working and honest they were, and they had always treated him fairly and respectfully, despite his previous brush with the law and the two of them unexpectedly being given the responsibility of caring for him.  He would never intentionally hurt them. So why hadn't he thought about that when he was racing around the track at top speed with Justin?  Probably because he was too absorbed in the rush he had received from it.  "I...Ju..." he stammered uncharacteristically.   _No, he was not going to incriminate him..._

 

"I did discover the sulky a few weeks ago," he began again.  _At least that much was true..._ "And Justin mentioned how much Dale's horse seemed to be bonding with me.  I thought that maybe True Blue was missing his old racing days, so I asked him if he would be willing to show me how to drive the sulky. After taking a look at it, I knew it wouldn't take much to fix it up.  It was mainly just the wheel."  He berated himself as he noticed his uncle actually flinch at the word ‘wheel.'  _How thoughtless could he be?_

He remembered the adrenalin high he had felt being True Blue's driver; it was almost as if the two of them had melded together into one sleek racing machine, with his body an extension of the horse's.  And even though Justin had thoroughly surpassed him this last time, he had still experienced the same thrill he had felt the first time.  Was it worth it now, though? 

 

"And how did it make you feel?" Sarah asked him, placing her hands back in her lap as she peered over at him intently like his personal therapist.  

 

"When I was driving the sulky?" 

 

She nodded.

 

"Honestly?"

 

Will listened to the conversation quietly, wanting to know the same answers.  "Yes, of course," his aunt verified.  "You can tell us anything, Brian; as long as it's the truth." 

 

Brian nodded as he let out a deep breath.  "Okay.  It felt...amazing.  I felt free; almost like I was part of the horse!  The adrenalin rush was nothing like I had ever felt before!"  The longer Brian spoke, the more animated his voice became.  He smiled.  "And I found out I was good at it; the first time I drove True Blue...the _first time_...I actually beat Justin and Headstrong! Can you believe that?" He laughed then.  "But it was short-lived. As soon as Justin got his strength back, he left me in the dust."  He grinned as his aunt smiled back at him then.  "But I didn't care.  It was the most incredible experience!  Justin was right..."

 

"Right about what?" Sarah inquired. 

 

_Uh, oh..._ He had promised himself that he wouldn't involve Justin. But it was too late now.  Perhaps it was for the best, anyway, because he found that he didn't want to lie to his aunt and uncle.  Lies only turned into more lies; he had found that out the hard way, as had Jared and that Kesterson kid.  He sighed in resignation as he admitted, "It was actually Justin's idea to teach me how to drive.  He only suggested it because he knew I was kind of missing some from my old life."    Before his aunt and uncle could misunderstand, he quickly added, "I don't mean city life." He paused for a moment before explaining, "There're a lot of things I like about living here.  I just occasionally miss the...excitement."  That was the only word he could think of to explain his ‘need for speed' sometimes. 

 

His noticed his aunt and uncle exchanging a look and some silent message as Will nodded back at his wife. He was surprised to see a half-smile on his uncle's face.  "What?" he asked curiously, his previous anxiety about discussing the subject forgotten.

 

"You sound a lot like our son did," Sarah explained softly.  "He used to crave that, too. He always said that racing gave him an outlet; a way to take him someplace else." She smiled wistfully at the memory.  "He told us that he only felt free when he was racing.  True Blue was born on our farm to one of our gentlest mares; how he became such a spirited one we'll never know. But from the time he was born, he didn't want to be controlled or ruled.  We thought he would never be tamed or broken.  But for some reason, Dale took a liking to him when he just a little boy, and despite our instructions to him not to go near him, he would still sneak out and head over to our stables to visit with him.  The next thing we knew, he was riding him!  We eventually decided that our son and that horse could not be separated, and that they had this connection that no one else had.  True Blue could only be controlled by Dale...until _you_ came along." 

 

Brian listened raptly to his aunt, hearing the sentimentality in her voice; even his uncle had what appeared to be tears in his eyes. He nodded.  "I think Dale and I might have been good friends if he was here today."

 

Sarah swallowed hard, her own eyes glistening.  "I know you would have," she whispered, smiling through her tears. 

 

Brian took a moment to absorb what his aunt was telling him before he replied, "I guess I understand a little more about why you would be so set on me not racing."  He paused, feeling a stab of disappointment as he told them, "I'll go bring the sulky back over here...unless you would prefer I do something else with it.  I'm sure Justin would let me keep..."

 

"No," was the quiet interjection from his uncle as Brian peered over at him in confusion.  "No," Will repeated a little louder as he cleared his throat.  "Maybe the best thing you can do to honor our son is to continue his legacy," he told him as Sarah stared at him in surprise. 

 

"What?" Brian asked, needing to make sure he was certain of his uncle's wishes.  "You _want_ me to keep training with him?" 

 

His uncle paused before slowly nodding.  "Yes," he finally responded as Sarah reached over to squeeze his hand, knowing how difficult this was for him.  "I want everyone to know that the Walkers don't give up, and we don't back down.  We get up and we keep going, no matter what."  For once, there was definite resolve in Will Walker's voice; something that Sarah hadn't heard in a long time.

 

Brian shook his head in disbelief.  "You sure about that, Uncle Will?" he asked quietly. 

 

Will nodded.  "Yes, boy, I'm sure.  As long as you give it your best when you do it.  And don't let it interfere with your chores here, either.  Don't forget, you're still a part of this household."  He took a deep breath.  "Now go wash up before I change my mind. Supper's waiting," he told him gruffly.

 

Brian nodded after a few seconds, glancing over at his aunt, who nodded back at him in reassurance.  "Go ahead, Brian; your uncle and I will be in directly."

 

The couple watched as Brian rose to his feet and headed to the back door; it softly banged as he entered the house, leaving them alone. 

 

Will sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. Sarah noticed the tired creases around his eyes, wondering when they had become so pronounced.  To her, though, he would always be the handsomest man she had ever met.  "Why did you change your mind, William?" she asked him, their shoulders touching as they sat on the swing. 

 

"I already told you the reason why," he replied, his voice just above a whisper.  He gazed straight ahead, watching as the stalks of corn swayed slowly in the warm breeze.  "It's the best way."

 

"The best way to what?"

 

"The best way to not forget him. To look fear in the face and triumph over it."  He turned to look at his wife as he took her hand, realizing how wise she was.  "How did I get so lucky to find you, Missy?" he asked her, gripping her hand tightly as if he were afraid to let it go.  "Do you know how much...I love you?"  

 

Sarah's face lit up with pleasure, her lips forming a delighted smile. Her husband never had been the romantic type, although he used to express his affection for her more when they were a lot younger. After Dale had died, he had never verbalized his feelings for her aloud ever again.  To hear it now, then, was a special, much cherished surprise.  "I love you, too, Will.  So much." 

 

One side of his mouth quirked up tenderly as he leaned in to press his lips to her; they were warm and slightly chapped, a tribute to how hard he worked every day.  They pulled back after a few moments to look into each other's eyes; Sarah tucked some of her husband's hair behind his ear.  "Let's go in," she told him, standing up, her hand still gripped in Will's.  "It's time for our family to eat."

 

Will nodded as he allowed her to pull him up to stand beside her.  Sliding his arm around her waist, the two headed toward the house to join their nephew.

 


	34. Apples and Butterflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will does something he hasn't done in a long time. Justin discovers to his dismay that he may not be ready for his next race after the accident.

_Windswept Farm - 1:00 a.m._

Justin tossed and turned in his bed, finding sleep very elusive.  He had lain down about two hours earlier, still in his jeans and tee-shirt, but he hadn't really obtained any rest; his thoughts were focused too much on a certain older boy next door, and what Brian had encountered when he had gone home.  Had his uncle been furious with him for taking up the same hobby that had gotten his own son killed?  Had he forbidden him to drive the sulky ever again, or maybe even grounded him? Although, at 19 Brian wasn't a minor any more, and with the money he would soon be inheriting from his deceased uncle, he really didn't have to even stay with them any longer if he didn't want to. That thought filled Justin with extreme trepidation.  He knew Brian really cared for him; that he even loved him.  And he recalled how the other boy has reassured him that he had no intention of going anywhere; due in large part to his feelings for HIM.  But he also knew Brian was a restless, free spirit, and while he had become somewhat accustomed to living more of a tranquil, slower paced-life here in Kentucky, he also knew from watching Brian perform around the track that he craved more excitement in his life. And his lover had found that - at least temporarily - through his sulky driving.  There was no doubt that he had an innate talent for the sport, and that he delighted in being in the driver's seat. Not to mention that he and True Blue - who shared the same fondness for excitement and speed - had definitely bonded.  He had never seen anyone earn the proud stallion's trust more quickly than Brian had - with the exception of Dale.  What would happen, then, if Brian's uncle disallowed him the chance to keep racing?  Because as much as Will Walker might want to control what his nephew did and where he went, he really had no control over whether or not Brian chose to remain here - or go somewhere more in keeping with his dreams and goals. And now he had the financial means to do whatever he wanted.  And when he left to go to Vanderbilt next year, what would Brian do? Would he leave then?  He sighed in melancholy, the clear hoot-hoot-hoot of an owl somewhere nearby piercing the air.

 

A different sound just then made his eyes jerk open wide, and he couldn't help smiling in relief. He recognized it instantly; it was the sound of pebbles skittering on the upper pane of his open window.  He sat up in bed, just as a shoe came whizzing by his feet.  Rolling his eyes with a grin, he slid off the bed and grabbed the sneaker-turned-missile, walking over to the window to peer down below, his hands bracing his upper body as he leaned over the wooden window sill.  Through the partial moonlight, he could make out the other boy clearly, and his heart involuntarily skipped a beat. 

 

  
"You lost something," Justin stage-whispered to him with a smile, seeing Brian's teeth gleam as he smiled back at him. 

 

"So come down here and give it back to me," was the saucy reply that made Justin tingle in anticipation.  Nodding, he turned and quickly headed over to the bedroom door, the shoe clutched in his hand as he slipped his feet hurriedly into his own shoes.  Taking great pains to not awaken either his parents or Jared - who was now sleeping back in his old room, having earned it after helping to save his life earlier - he crept down the wooden stairs, trying not to land on any of the well-known steps that always creaked.  As soon as he reached the kitchen below and carefully opened the exterior and screen doors to exit, he practically flew down the steps, dropping the shoe at Brian's feet as he was swept up into his arms.  Their bodies melded tightly as one while they kissed, their passion quickly flaring as they pressed their lips firmly together. 

 

When they finally broke off their kiss to catch their breaths, neither boy found that they wanted to release their hold on each other, but Justin couldn't wait to ask, "What happened?  How did it go?" 

 

Brian smiled.  "A lot better than I thought it would," he told him, his left hand coming up to gently sweep some misbehaving hair out of his companion's eyes.  "Would you believe that Uncle Will was actually more agreeable about my racing than Aunt Sarah?"

 

Justin's eyes widened in surprise.  "He was?" 

 

Brian nodded.  "Yeah. I don't think either one of them are that happy about it," he amended.  "But my uncle thinks that my racing would sort of be a tribute to my cousin.  A kind of ‘you beat us down, but you won't _keep_ us down' type of thing.  They're both worried about me getting hurt...but they won't stop me from doing it, though." 

 

Justin could see a fire in Brian's eyes then as he talked about his sulky driving; he instantly recognized it as the same sort of expression he - and Dale before him - used to have whenever THEY talked about the emotions they experienced as they raced, although his real passion lay with his art, not with the exhilaration of winning against other drivers.  "I'm glad," he told him as Brian pulled him a little closer so their bodies were touching even more, causing Justin's body to tingle.  He somehow knew that no matter how long they knew each other, Brian would always cause such reactions from him, but he didn't mind it a bit.  "I admit I'm a little surprised...but I'm glad they both understand." He smiled.  "You will never be the kind of person to shy away from anything, Brian.  That's one of the things that I love about you." 

 

Brian smiled back at him as his long index finger lightly traced Justin's lower lip almost reverently.  "I like that word coming from your lips.  Love," he clarified, as Justin blushed at him.  He grinned.  "I think I'd like to see what _other_ sounds I can make come out of that mouth." 

 

Justin's face warmed even more at the tone of Brian's voice.  "You would, would you?" he whispered back at him. 

 

Brian nodded as he broke off their embrace to grasp his lover's wrist; even in the relative coolness of the night air, Justin felt like his skin was on fire merely by his touch.  "Yeah...I think I'm in the mood for a little skinny dipping."

 

Justin laughed softly, trying hard not to wake up either his parents or his brother, although he knew from past experience that when Jared slept, it was more like a sleep of the dead, and his parents' bedroom window, thankfully, was closed at the moment.  "Brian, it's too cold out here tonight to go skinny dipping."

 

Brian used his grasp of Justin's wrist to pull him closer and give him a brief kiss on the lips.  'll warm you up, don't worry," he huskily assured him as he stared into his eyes.  He cupped Justin's face in his hands and stared at him intently.

 

Justin thought his face couldn't have turned any redder than it already was, but he found out he was wrong.  He shivered then, but not because of the relative coolness of the clear, crisp, night air.  He nodded, unable to resist the temptation.  "Okay," he whispered with a smile.  "I'll make sure you warm up, too, then," he added as Brian laughed in amusement.

 

"I'm counting on it," he told him. Pecking him again briefly on the lips, he slid his arm around Justin's shoulders as the two of them headed off toward the swimming hole, neither of them returning to their respective beds until just before sunrise and the first rooster's crow.

 

* * *

_The Next Morning..._

 

Sarah's eyes slowly fluttered open at the first sign of daylight, just like they always did. She had always been the one to get up before her husband, her responsibilities in providing a warm, nourishing breakfast for him fueling her need to rise early.  She always rose at the same time each day, also, whether she needed to or not; so much so that she never had any need for an alarm clock.  And just like she did every day, she slowly turned her head, expecting to see Will still sound asleep, since he normally woke up about the time the coffee was brewing thirty minutes later.

 

But this morning there was no sign of him; only the crumpled sheet and depression on the pillow where his head had rested during the night.  She frowned.  "Will?" she called out. But the room was still and silent, and no sound of streaming water from the shower in the adjacent bathroom could be heard.  Her brow furrowing now in concern, she rose from the bed, grabbing her flannel robe from over the back of the chair nearby and slipping it on, tying it casually around her slim body as she slid her feet into her slippers before heading toward the open door and down the hallway to the stairs.

 

* * *

 

A few minutes of searching for her husband, both in the house and the barn, turned up no sign of him, adding to her concern.  Today would be difficult enough, she knew, without any needed stress, for today was their son's birthday, and she knew it would be just like all the other birthdays since Dale had died. It would be both a day to be celebrated as well as a day to mourn.  She knew that this day was always extremely hard on her husband; even more so than her, she felt.  So on this day, she always made sure to pay just a little extra attention to him to help him get through what was one of the most difficult days of the year for both of them.

 

By this time, she had gotten dressed in a simple, long-sleeved, cotton blouse and a pair of casual pants, still with no idea of where Will could have gone.  As she stood just inside the open door of the barn, she tried to figure out the puzzle of his husband's disappearance. His truck was still parked where he always parked it by the back fence gate, so it was obvious he had not gone into town, or drove out into the fields to check on any breaks in their fence, which he regularly did each month as a precaution.  He wasn't in the chicken coop, the storage barn out back, or with the pigs. And she had checked - Brian was still in his bed, sound asleep.  He was due to be awakened soon, though; perhaps she should go up and do that so he could help search for Will.  "William Walker, where are you?" she asked softly, her hands on her hips in puzzlement.

 

Just then, she heard Solomon barking off in the distance, and then the sound of what seemed to be a motor of some type.  Peering around the interior of the barn, she noticed for the first time that their tractor was missing - the one that Brian had worked on earlier in the summer - and she sighed in relief.  Will must have taken it out for some reason.  But why?  All the crop work had been done for the week, as far as she knew, and Brian had cut the grass near the house and the fields yesterday.  So what could he be doing? 

 

"Only one way to find out," she murmured with determination, walking out of the barn and heading in the direction of the sound.

 

* * *

 

As she got closer, she couldn't believe where the sound had originated. She could clearly see their old tractor parked nearby, and Solomon joyfully trotting around the field, no doubt searching for a rabbit to terrorize.  But where her husband had wound up astounded her, because in all this time he had never once ventured anywhere near it. 

 

Her heart skipped a beat as she walked closer to the grassy, windswept knoll, the familiar metal fence protecting some of their most treasured loved ones. The ones who had come and gone in and out of their lives; some when it was expected, and some when they were ruthlessly taken away when it was least expected.

 

The old Walker family cemetery had stood in this place for centuries, ever since the first descendant in the family lineage had arrived here in Kentucky from Virginia, fresh off the boat from Ireland.  Linus Walker had staked his claim here, and had eventually found a wife to raise several children.  Some of them had fought in the Civil War on the losing side, but two of them had survived to return and live out the rest of their years on this land their father had considered sacred.  When Linus had eventually died, his wife Miriam had laid him to rest here, beside two children who had died at childbirth, and from then on every Walker who had died after them had been buried here as well...including the child whose birthday they remembered today.

 

Sarah noticed their push mower sitting next to the tractor, the trailer Will often used to haul supplies and brush attached; a weed cutter lay against the wooden rails of the trailer with fresh remnants of grass sticking to the bottom.  The gate surrounding the graves had been cleared of any weeds, and the grass inside the enclosure neatly cut; even without the evidence of having hauled the push mower up here, it would have been obvious the grass had just been freshly mowed by the familiar smell she inhaled; the smell that always invoked in her warm and sunny days.  Normally pleasant days filled with good memories. But today was bittersweet, to say the least, as she walked up to the gate and placed her hands on top of the cold, smooth metal, silently observing her husband kneeling in front of Dale's grave.  An impromptu bouquet of Gerbera daisies - their son's favorite flower that she planted every year around the house - was lying on top of the ground in front of the stone where her husband had placed them.

 

Her eyes glistened with tears as she lifted the metal latch to open the gate, Solomon dutifully following along behind her as she walked inside and headed toward their son's grave.  She noticed the weeds around the tombstone had been carefully removed.  His back to her, Will did not hear her approach as he continued to carefully polish the black marble with a cloth cut from one of his old, soft-cotton shirts.   She watched as he placed the cloth down on the bed of grass after a few seconds, and then lift his left hand to lightly trace over their son's name on the cold smoothness of the grave marker.  It was only then that he turned his head as Solomon walked up to him, and he patted the beagle on his head, noticing his wife standing there a few feet away.  "What are you doing up here, Missy?" he asked a little gruffly, suddenly feeling like someone who had been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. 

 

Uncaring of the dew still blanketing the morning grass, Sarah knelt down next to her husband, the knees of her pants quickly becoming wet.  She reached over to grasp her husband's hand as he knelt there beside her in his overalls and well-worn, plaid shirt, staring at their son's name, birthdate, and date of death.  An image of True Blue was etched above his name, a tribute to the horse who had brought such joy to him - and that had indirectly caused his death as well.  "This is the first time you've been here since..."  She left the rest of her statement unsaid; Will knew what she meant.  The only time he had been here at their son's grave was the day they had to bury him.  Will had stood there stoically that day, his lips compressed into a firm line, as their only son's casket was lowered to the ground.  He had reached down into the soft, newly-upturned earth to grab a handful and toss it onto the top of the casket before silently turning and heading back out of the cemetery.  It was the last time he had come here to visit his son's grave...until today.  He nodded in response to his wife's statement. 

 

"Why today, William?" she asked him softly as she peered into his worn, proud face.  It was a face she had known so well for so long; a face whose expression normally broadcast clearly how her husband was feeling.  But right now she couldn't really read it very well. She watched as he licked his lips and shrugged. 

 

"It...felt right," he replied finally.  "I...I needed to come here."  He turned to face her as he added, "You know what day it is."

 

"Of course I do," she responded, unexpectedly miffed a bit that he would think she could ever forget their son's birthday.  "And I know you remember it every year, too. But you've never come up here before.  Not since our son died."

 

Will shook his head.  "No, I haven't," he admitted. 

 

"So why this birthday?" she pressed him.  She watched as Solomon walked closer and lay down on the other side of their son's grave, almost as if he, too, felt the need to be close to his former master. 

 

"I don't know," he replied honestly as he reached out to once more lightly caress the polished marble surface.  "Maybe it's because I feel like we finally have some resolution to what happened. We have the answers we have been looking for all this time."  He took a deep breath and let it out as he turned to peer into her eyes.  "I know it won't bring him back...I miss him every day, and I always will.  There will always be this big hole in my heart, especially on this day.  But...we finally know what happened.  And I just wanted somehow to tell our boy that he's not forgotten.  And to honor him in some way."

 

Sarah nodded.  "Like you said Brian is doing by driving his sulky?"

 

Will nodded after a few seconds, rubbing his free hand over his jaw briefly as he squeezed his wife's hand with the other.  The two of them stayed there side by side for several minutes, both of them peering at their son's name on the gravestone and recalling past memories of their time with their son. Good memories for the most part now; time was, indeed, at least a partial healer. But neither of them would ever be quite the same again. 

 

Finally, Sarah heard her husband sigh as he rose to his feet, brushing off his pants as he reached down to pull her up alongside him.  "We'd best be going," he told her as he studied her with concern.  "You'll get your death of cold staying out here.  Your pants are all wet now, Missy." 

 

She scoffed at him gently.  "I'm not the only one, William." 

 

He nodded after a few moments.  "No, I reckon you're not," he told her with a grudging smile.  He grunted a ‘huh' at her before he asked, "Speaking of Brian, did you see him before you came out here?  I'm going to need some help today with the apple harvest in addition to his regular chores."

 

She nodded in affirmation.  "Yes, I saw him." She hesitated.  "He was still in the bed when I went looking for you about an hour ago."

 

Her husband's eyes flashed in irritation as he peered up at the ever-rising sun; he didn't have to pull his pocket watch out to estimate the time.  "He should be awake and working outside by now," he told her tersely.  "I'm surprised he wasn't up yet. I thought he had become more dependable than that."

 

"Now, William, we were both his age once...and in love," she reminded him gently with a knowing smile.

 

"What does that have to do with it, Sarah?  That doesn't excuse him shirking his responsibilities." 

 

"I'm sure he's aware of his responsibilities, and he takes them very seriously," she told him.  "But he's in love.  Love makes you do some foolish and unexpected things."

 

Will's narrowed his brow suspiciously.  "Such as...?"

 

She smiled.  "Such as staying out until almost daybreak," she revealed.  "He was trying to be very quiet, but you know how good my hearing is."

 

"That boy was out all night?"

 

She nodded.  "Well, almost.  And something tells me that a certain other boy was out with him." 

 

Will pressed his lips together.  "That's just plain irresponsible, Sarah.  He knows he's expected to do his part around the farm. He can't stay up all hours of the night - cavorting with that other boy - and expect to get his work done.  I will have a talk with him."

 

"You will do no such thing, William Walker!"

 

"Excuse me?  You're going to just let him sleep all day and shirk his chores?  A farm can't operate that way, Sarah!  He knows we depend on him!" 

 

"Yes, I'm sure he _does_ know," she assured him.  "But he's also a young man who is smitten with our neighbor boy.  You've seen how they are with each other!  It won't hurt for one day if we give him a little break.  Besides, I'm sure he'll be awake shortly, and he can help you with the apple harvest then.  It won't be a disaster if all the apples aren't picked in one day, or if the barn stalls aren't cleaned out until later today or even tomorrow. Just let him be, William.  Let him be the young man that he is, and try not to make him into such a serious person way too soon." 

 

Will paused to consider her words. "You mean like me?" was the quiet query. 

 

Sarah leaned over to kiss her husband on the cheek.  "Yes, like you," she verified.  "But somewhere inside you is that fun-loving, less serious man that I married.  You just have to find him again."

 

He snorted before finally nodding grudgingly.  "Okay, Missy.  We'll give him a little slack today. But ONLY for today.  He may have changed since he came here - and he may need a little down time to have fun - but keeping up a farm is still hard work."  She nodded back at him in understanding as his face softened.  "Now let's get on back.  You can ride back down with me...like we did when I was a ‘fun-loving, less serious' man.'"

 

She grinned at him as he hoisted her up onto the tractor's seat before jumping up to sit beside her.  Starting up the older machine, he slowly proceeded down the sloping hill, Solomon trotting alongside them as they headed back to the house.

 

* * *

 

_Later that Afternoon...Walker apple orchard_

"Batter up!" 

 

Brian's uncle watched as Justin plucked another apple from one of their Jonathan trees with the handheld apple picker mounted on a long pole and then turned to pitch it to Brian, who was wearing his old baseball mitt as he stood several feet away, his legs slightly apart for better balance.  Deftly catching it in his mitt, his nephew then twirled around and dropped the fruit into one of the wooden baskets lying on the ground before punching the inside of the glove with his fist like Mickey Mantle, causing Justin to giggle over his antics.

 

Will shook his head as he stood on one of the upper rungs of his favorite, well-worn, wooden ladder.  "Brian, be careful with that fruit.  Those Jonathans bruise easily.  This is NOT the World Series, and you are no Dave Concepcion." 

 

Brian grinned.  "Oh, I don't know. You should have seen my moves in high school."  He winked at Justin, who promptly blushed, even though he assumed the other boy was talking about sporting moves and not something else. 

 

Will carefully dropped a couple of red delicious apples into his own basket.  "Only a couple more hours of daylight left," he reminded them.  "I want to get those two trees finished before then.  Sarah has promised some fresh apple butter for your mother, Justin, and some homemade apple pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert," he told Brian. After a pause, he corrected himself.  "You, too," he told Justin.  "I'm sure Sarah would consider me a bad neighbor for not inviting you to supper with us this evening.  Would you like to join us?"

 

Brian peered over at his younger lover hopefully.  Any chance to spend more time with Justin was always welcome.  To his relief, Justin smiled at his uncle and nodded. "I would never pass up the chance to have a piece of Mrs. Walker's apple pie and homemade ice cream."  His gaze fell on Brian then, as the other boy grinned back at him with a lazy smirk, making his pulse race in anticipation. 

 

Will - not noticing the look that passed between the two boys - nodded.  "Then it's settled; you can give your mother a call at the house when we get back.  But not until my nephew the shortstop finishes with those two trees first." 

 

Brian groaned. They were only partly done with the first tree, and both were teeming with apples.  It would take some time to get both of them picked completely clean.

 

But his uncle was steadfast.  "You heard me, Brian.  No dinner - or free time for guests," he added with a glance over at Justin, whose face warmed at the inference, "until you're done here."  He knew that last part would be the incentive his nephew needed to complete his chore.  He realized that his wife would definitely scold him if he had failed to invite the Taylor boy to supper. But he _also_ knew the thought of his nephew having the chance to spend more time with Justin would be a great impetus for him to finish with the apple harvest.  He smiled to himself as he watched Brian shaking his head in disbelief.  "I think you and Justin have this well in hand now," he told his nephew as he hid his smile from him.  "So while you're finishing this up, I'll be back at the barn. I have some tools to sharpen and oil.  You can bring the ladder back down with the tractor when you're finished.  I'll walk back."  Turning around, he refused to acknowledge to himself that he was, in essence, giving the two boys a little time alone while they worked, having confidence that his nephew would see that he still finished his job.  He heard Brian utter a simple, "Yes, Sir," before he nodded in acknowledgement and headed back down toward the barn, grinning over the suddenly eager tone in his nephew's voice.

 

* * *

_Thirty Minutes Later..._

Justin squealed with laughter, bent over to try and protect himself as Brian relentlessly tickled him around the waist. Ever since he had found out about his proclivity for being ticklish, the older boy had delighted in torturing him from time to time.  "Stop it, you asshole!" he managed to eke out in between the long fingers dancing over his sides.  "I'll tell your uncle you're goofing off!" he warned with a grin.  He was abruptly pulled back up as Brian stopped tickling him and shoved his body up against his, their faces mere inches from each other.  His hands slid around the blond's waist to embrace him tightly, causing Justin to gasp at the intimate contact. 

 

"Oh, you will, will you?" Brian asked with an arched eyebrow.

 

Justin's eyes twinkled as he licked his lips, noticing Brian's eyes darkening as he focused on his mouth.  He flushed then, trying to concentrate on what he had been saying, but his mouth felt dry all of a sudden.  Their playfulness was quickly brushed aside as they stared into each other's eyes, the sexual tension between them clear and distinct.  _What was he saying?_ _Oh, yeah._    "Well...maybe not just yet," he vacillated.   He glared at Brian as the other boy smirked at him, knowing full well the effect he was having on him. 

 

Brian grinned as he abruptly let him go.  "You're right," he told him as Justin's mouth hung open in a mixture of disappointment and disbelief.  "We'd better get back to work."  He moved to reach for his glove, but was stymied when he felt Justin grab his wrist from behind.  He turned back around to peer at him.  "You needed something?" he asked innocently. 

 

Justin rolled his eyes like a petulant child not getting his way.  "Yes, I did," he told him indignantly. 

 

"You want to use the ladder instead of the apple picker?" 

 

"No!"  He could feel his face warming as Brian stared at him expectantly.  "You...I..."  He shook his head and huffed in frustration, suddenly feeling like an idiot.  "Oh, never mind!"  He released Brian's wrist and turned around to stomp toward the ladder.  He didn't get very far, though, before he was grabbed from behind and twirled around; two seconds later, he heard a growl from Brian's mouth before he wrapped his arms around his body and plastered his lips against his, knocking the breath out of him as Brian kissed him deeply as if he had been deprived for months rather than hours.

 

After several seconds, Brian let go of him and grinned.  "Is that what you had in mind?"

 

Justin fought to regain a normal breathing pattern as he glared at him.  "Arrggh! You can be so exasperating at times!  You knew all along what I wanted!" 

 

Brian's grin widened into a smug one.  "Of course I did.  Because that's what I was wanting, too." 

 

That caused Justin to pause. "It was?" 

 

Brian moved closer to gently stroke the side of Justin's cheek.  "It's always what I want every time I'm near you," he murmured as Justin's eyes closed to heighten the sensation of the other boy's touch.  "I've been waiting all this time for my uncle to leave so I could."  He shook his head.  "Do you know how hard it is to be that close to you, and not touch you?  Kiss you?" 

 

Opening up his eyes, Justin swallowed noticeably at the look Brian was giving him.  "Yeah," he told him softly.  "Because I always feel the same way." 

 

Brian nodded with a smile.  "So why do you really think Uncle Will left us alone, then?" 

 

Justin shook his head.  "I don't know," he answered him honestly.  "He said he had some other work to do." 

 

"Bullshit," Brian informed him.  "He sharpened those tools last week."

 

Justin's eyes widened in astonishment.  "What?" 

 

Brian nodded.  "Yeah.  My Aunt Sarah happened to mention it to me the other day.  So that must have just been an excuse to leave."

 

"But why would he do that?"

 

Brian continued to stroke Justin's cheek and jaw.  "Well, as hard as it is to believe, I can think of only one reason. He must have done it so we could have some time alone."

 

"But...I never thought he really approved of us, well, you know. Being together."  Although, he had to admit once the initial surprise of it had worn off, both the Walkers and his parents had become more accustomed to the idea; a fact for which he was very grateful. If he had had to go through what he had endured with the Kesterson boy and the gambling cartel on his own without Brian's love and support, he wasn't sure what he would have done, or if things would have turned out much differently. 

 

Brian smiled at him.  "It is a big surprise for me, too.  But can you blame him? You're pretty irresistible." 

 

Justin grinned.  "I am?"

 

"Yes," was the choked-up whisper as Justin reached up to lay his hand over Brian's.  Brian gazed at his younger lover, his mind traveling briefly to the future when they would have to inevitably say goodbye.  How in the world was he ever going to be able to do that?  The thought of being separated from this other boy made his heart physically ache.  It wouldn't have been too long ago that the mere thought of caring so much about another person would have been totally foreign to him; now, not only did he deeply love Justin, he had come to admire, respect, and yes, love, both his aunt and uncle as well. 

 

"Brian?"

 

He blinked then, bringing his thoughts back to the present as he smiled back at Justin reassuringly. 

 

"Where did you go?"  Justin squeezed his hand and brought it down to rest against his chest. 

 

Brian could feel Justin's heart beating, strong and sure, under his touch, and he derived comfort from that.  "I'm right here," he told him.  "I'll always be here.  Whenever and wherever you need me." 

 

Justin gazed back at him thoughtfully, hope springing in his heart that Brian would never leave him.  "I'm going to hold you to that," he told him quietly, thinking how much he loved this stubbornly proud boy. 

 

Brian leaned in to softly kiss him, his lips slowly moving over his before he pulled back to look him in the eyes.  "I'm not going anywhere, Justin," he told him. He pushed melancholy thoughts of the future aside as Justin reminded him, "We'd best get these apples picked, or your uncle will come back, good intentions or not.  And I want some of that homemade apple pie and ice cream." 

 

His companion laughed.  "Now we have the _real_ reason."  He grinned.  "Okay, farm boy.  Grab the picker and batter up again!" 

 

Justin nodded with a smile as both boys got back to work.

 

* * *

 

_Next Morning..._

 

"Honey, make sure you tell Sarah thank you for the apple butter! As always, it's delicious."  Jennifer smiled as her youngest son reached over to snag another homemade biscuit to slather some fresh butter on it and then some more of the apple butter. She wasn't the _only_ one who obviously was enjoying it. 

 

"I will, Mom," he told her in between bites.

 

Craig rose from his chair at the breakfast table then, reaching to slide his jacket on.  Taking one last sip from his coffee mug, he leaned down to kiss Jennifer on the cheek.  "I'd best be going," he told her as she nodded.  "Be home around 6 or so."  He started to leave before a thought occurred to him, and he turned around.  "Please don't let Jared sleep the morning away, Jen.  He needs to start looking for a job." 

 

She nodded in agreement.  "I won't," she promised him fervently.  "Have a good day, Craig," she added. 

 

He nodded as he picked up his briefcase and headed out the backdoor.  She could feel more of a spring in his step lately - and more confidence in his voice - now that Craig had found a new job.  Plus, it would certainly make them breathe a lot easier when it came to their finances. She knew that Justin wouldn't be around too much longer to carry the weight of their financial burden on his shoulders; nor was it fair.  For the first time in a long time, she could look ahead to her youngest son heading off to Vanderbilt next fall without also feeling pangs of alarm and anxiety about how they would live from month-to-month without his racing income. 

 

She sighed as she used her napkin to wipe her mouth, scooting back from her chair to rise to her feet.  "Justin, if you're finished with breakfast, will you please take a tray out to Emmett and Vic for me?  I'm going to go see what's keeping your brother." 

 

Justin nodded readily, deciding he had the easier of the two jobs. Although he had made peace with his brother, he knew it might more than the other night for Jared to start acting more responsible.  Just as he thought his father and mother would do, Jared had been permitted to move back into his old room, rather than stay in the drafty barn. But it had only been done with the stipulation that he go out and find a job so he could help out with expenses.  Their father had told him that with his new job, he would not have as much time to tinker with fix-me-up cars like they used to do, also.  Jared had promised he would do as their parents had instructed, but here he was, back up in his old room and apparently still asleep.  As the saying goes, some things apparently never changed.  He hoped Jared had learned his lesson, but so far there wasn't much sign that he had.

 

As he stood up to walk over to the oven, however, he was startled to see his brother emerging from down the hall.  "Squirt," he greeted Justin with a smirk as Justin rolled his eyes at him.  "Sorry I overslept, Mom.  Any breakfast left?"  He walked over to peck her on the cheek before he slid his long legs into the nearest chair.  "Any coffee?" he added as he looked over at Justin, who was nearest to the coffeemaker.

 

"Are your legs broken?" 

 

"Justin, please."  His mother sighed in exasperation.

 

Justin huffed indignantly as he turned and grabbed the coffeepot, walking over to hold it over his brother's mug.  He waited until Jared lifted it off the table before he poured. 

 

"You'll make someone a perfect wife," Jared told his brother with a grin as he reached to spoon a big amount of sugar into his cup.

 

"Don't tempt me," Justin warned him in a stern tone of voice as he continued to hold the hot carafe above Jared's place at the table. 

 

"Boys," Jennifer scolded both of them.  "Justin, please do as I say."  Her youngest son let out a heavy breath, but did as she asked as he replaced the coffee carafe back in the coffeemaker before opening the stove to pick up the two meals warming in the oven, covered with some aluminum foil.  As he placed them on a wooden tray and prepared to take them outside, he heard their mother speak again.

 

"Jared, after breakfast you and I are going to have a talk about what you're going to do today."

 

"Do?"

 

"Yes...as in go into town and look for a job."

 

His back to his brother, Justin couldn't help grinning in satisfaction as he heard his brother's answering protest before, opening the screen door with his sneakered foot, he headed outside toward Vic's trailer. He would be doing some more practice today in preparation for his first competitive meet since the accident, and for some reason he was feeling a little anxious.  Physically he felt fine now; good as new. Mentally, however, he kept thinking about his tumble from the seat of his sulky, and he was surprised by how nervous it made him feel.  His next race would be this weekend, but at least it wouldn't be at Red Mill.  His father - after his initial, knee-jerk reaction - had reversed his conviction not to let his youngest son race again, especially now that the man behind his accident was dead, and the others captured.  But luckily he wouldn't have to face the same track again this week as the one where he had been injured. For that, he was grateful.

 

As he dropped off the two meals and headed out toward the practice track, he felt his hands sweating, but he knew it wasn't due to any heat; the morning was actually cool, signaling that fall would soon be here. No, it wasn't because of the weather, he knew.  He scoffed at himself.  "Get your act together," he muttered.  He had raced countless times before. Why should this be any different? But he knew why. He just had to convince himself that things would be fine, or he was liable to make a total fool of himself in his meet. 

 

"Hey, Boy," he greeted his horse affectionately.  He took a deep breath to steel himself and let it out as he reached to pick up his helmet lying nearby.  "Ready for some practice?" he asked Headstrong, who whinnied impatiently.  He grinned.  "Okay, I hear you."  He turned to see Vic walking over to him to help him attach the sulky.  "Vic, I can do it," he insisted, knowing there could be no way the older man could have eaten yet.

 

Vic shook his head.  "It's a two-person job even under the best of circumstances.  You're still recuperating, Ace." 

 

Justin rolled his eyes at the familiar nickname that Vic had bestowed upon him after he had first started racing and had been victorious.  "I'm fine, Vic.  I feel 100% back to normal."

 

Vic nodded. "Maybe.  Then just humor me." 

 

Justin knew there was no point in arguing.  He sighed.  "Okay," he agreed as the two of them leaned down to pick up a side of the contraption and line it up with the horse, who obediently stood in position. By now, it was second nature to Headstrong, who looked forward to being hooked up, because that meant he was about to fly around the track.  Like True Blue, he loved the element of speed it gave him, and the workout he experienced.  He was also not content to be a pasture horse, either, not after having been used to racing. 

 

The rig hooked up speedily, Vic held onto the frame as he watched Justin walk over to the other side; he didn't miss the hesitation in the young man's gait.  "Justin?  Something wrong?" 

 

"No...no.  Nothing," Justin assured him a little too quickly.  Biting his lip and with his hand clutching his helmet, he used his other hand to swing his lithe body up into the seat.  He could feel his pulse racing in reaction, and his heart thumping in his chest.  "I'm fine," he insisted.  He silently chided himself over his reaction. He had been fine practicing and then racing with Brian. Why was today any different?  He tried to tell himself that it wasn't, but it didn't help very much.  Was it because he knew his first race was coming up in a few days, and he had pushed it out of his mind until now? Whatever the reason, he could feel butterflies taking up space in his stomach.

 

Vic nodded as he gazed at his friend thoughtfully.  "Okay.  I'll time you," he offered as Justin nodded at him.  Vic observed Justin reach for the reins and then he just sat there as if he were frozen.  Glancing over at a frowning Vic, he took another deep breath before jiggling the reins, and issuing a ‘giddap' to Headstrong, who slowly took off before gradually increasing his pace. 

 

Clutching his stop watch in his left hand, Vic watched intently as the pair increased their tempo even more until they were at maximum practice speed near the halfway point of the track.  He frowned in concern as he watched Justin wipe his mouth, his body rigid in the seat.  He did not want to jump to conclusions, but he had seen some of the same signs before in other drivers.  Was his young friend experiencing some paranoia after his accident?  "Come on, Justin; you can do it," he murmured as he watched Headstrong proceed around the track. 

 

"Uncle Vic?"

 

He turned as his nephew walked up to join him.  "Hey, Emmett."

 

"How's everything going?" he asked as he, too, watched Justin rushing around the track, the sound of the horses hooves pounding on the dirt as he trotted rapidly around the oval. 

 

"Not sure," Vic admitted as he kept close watch over his friend. 

 

Emmett frowned as he looked over at his uncle.  "What do you mean?"

 

Vic's eyes never strayed from his object of concern as he replied, "I have a feeling that Justin may be experiencing some anxiety because of the accident at Red Mill.  He's hesitating." 

 

To Emmett, his friend seemed the same he always was:  confident and self-assured about his skills.  "I don't see any difference," he admitted.  "He seems to be doing fine." 

 

Vic shook his head worriedly as he continued to stare at Justin.  "I can tell," he told Emmett.  "He's hesitating.  He's not opening the horse up to full trot."  He paused before adding, "He's unsure of himself.  And Headstrong can tell it, too." The horse seemed confused by his master's actions.  He was used to a firm, sure hand; not a hesitant one, and it showed in his gait.  It was a minor aberration, a subtle one. But Vic could see it.

 

He punched the button on the stop watch as Justin rushed by him and looked down at the time.  He was right; Justin's first pass around the track was about three seconds slower than he normally raced.  To the casual observer, it wouldn't be noticed, and the three-second difference would seem inconsequential.  But to Vic - a seasoned horseman and an experienced driver - he knew it would probably spell the difference between winning and possibly not even placing in a race. 

 

He nodded with certainty.  "He's holding back," he revealed to his nephew.  "Just as I thought." 

 

Emmett turned to face him with concern.  "That's bad, isn't it?"

 

Vic shrugged.  "It's bad if you want to keep winning.  Sometimes, though, I wonder if Justin's heart is in it anymore, anyway. But I know even if he wanted to eventually stop racing before he goes to college, this would not be the way he would want to be remembered." 

 

Emmett nodded in understanding.  "Poor baby," he cooed sympathetically.  "You think he'll get over it?"

 

Vic's lips were pressed in a fine line as he continued to closely watch his friend.  "I don't know, Em.  Only time will tell."  He waited until Justin had reached them once more before pressing the stop watch button, hoping the next lap would prove him wrong, but secretly thinking that it wouldn't.

 


	35. Love Wins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian uses his love for Justin to boost his confidence and quell his fears. Jared and Justin work on restoring their brotherly bond.

 

"Hey." 

 

Emmett turned around.  "Hey, tall, dark, and brooding," he responded with an appreciative gaze at Brian.  The other boy was wearing a pair of form-fitting, dark-blue jeans, paired with a black cotton, long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of black boots.  The sleeves of his shirt were pulled up to his elbows, offering a liberal look at his tanned, lightly muscled arms.  _Justin is one lucky boy,_ Emmett couldn't help thinking a little wistfully, although perhaps Brian was the lucky one, he decided. 

 

Brian walked over to place his hands on top of the white fence.  "How's he doing?" he asked the other boy as both of them watched Justin and Headstrong trotting around the track.  When Emmett didn't answer immediately, Brian turned to look over at him.  "Emmett?" 

 

Emmett stared straight ahead as if he were gathering up his courage.  Finally, he turned to stare at him.  "Vic's a little worried about him," he admitted. 

 

Brian frowned, his anxiety quickly ramping up.  "What do you mean?" he pressed.  "Justin seems fine to me." 

 

Emmett nodded.  "Physically, yeah.  Mentally?  Maybe not."

 

"Mentally?  Emmett, what the hell are you talking about?"  Brian reached over to grasp his sleeve. 

 

Emmett sighed.  "Vic thinks he's holding back. That he's a little gun shy about racing this weekend." 

 

Brian turned back to stare out at the racetrack, his eyes never leaving Justin's slim form perched atop the sulky seat.  To the untrained eye, Justin seemed normal as he led his horse around the track.  And Justin had never indicated to him that he felt anything but 100% now.  But as Brian studied him more intently, he conceded that perhaps Vic might be right.  He wasn't quite sure what it was, and it was not very discernible or noticeable. But Justin's posture seemed off-kilter, and even the way he held the reins in his hands seemed different somehow; less confident.  And while the speed he was maintaining seemed impressive, he thought he could detect just a bit of a slowdown in Justin's normal behavior.  Was it possible that Vic was right? After all, the man had had several years' of racing experience under his belt, and he was sure by now that Vic knew every minute movement that Justin made while racing.  He watched as Vic pressed the stop button on his stopwatch when Justin and his horse rounded the nearest curve and trotted past for another circuit.  As Justin took off once more for another lap, Vic turned from his position several yards away to peer over at them, and shook his head silently. 

 

"Well, I don't get it," Brian declared flatly.  "He was fine the other day when he and I were practicing together," he pointed out.  "So what's different now?"  His eyes continued to scrutinize his lover as Justin and Headstrong trotted around the track.  It almost seemed to his untrained eye that even the horse sensed Justin's hesitation, or was it his imagination?

 

"Maybe because he's realized it's almost race time," Emmett ventured.  "Before it was just you and him having fun.  His mind probably wasn't on the race then." 

 

Brian let that comment slide without his typical smug response or smirk.  He was too concerned with his lover at the moment.  "Well, I'm going to go talk to Vic about it," he decided, as he turned and headed toward the back gate leading into the racing oval.

 

Vic nodded in greeting as Brian sauntered up to him, along with Emmett, who had decided to join them as well.  The three of them watched intently as Justin neared the second turn before Brian spoke up.  "Emmett thinks Justin's holding back.  Do you?" 

 

Vic let out a worried breath.  "Yeah," he confirmed, his eyes darting down to study the present time that had elapsed on his stopwatch.  "I can tell.  He's off...and the horse knows it, too." 

 

Brian shook his head in confusion, his brow furrowing with concern.  "Why?  He was fine the other day.  You think it's what Emmett says? That he realizes his race is almost here, and it's the first one since the accident?" 

 

Vic nodded as he peered over at him, one eyebrow raised.  "Of course that's what it is," he replied firmly.  "Wouldn't you be a little scared, too, after what he's gone through?" 

 

Brian had to admit he had a point.  He sighed as he turned to watch Justin approaching them.  "Yeah...I guess I would be," he conceded.  Justin had taken a nasty tumble from his sulky.  It had been a miracle that he hadn't been more seriously hurt.  He had shown no signs of any psychological distress with him the other day, and had insisted that he was fine. But was he?  The evidence showed that wasn't the case. The question was, though, just how serious was it?  Just a case of jitters...or something deeper than that?

 

He pressed his lips firmly together.  "But he's going to be fine," Brian told them evenly.  "He's not going to let them beat him." 

 

The three men watched intently as Justin and the horse grew closer; they could see the boy pulling back on the reins as the two of them slowed down and finally came to a stop a few feet away. Headstrong chuffed, huffing through his nose as his head shook from side to side.  He seemed frustrated to Vic; something that probably went unnoticed by Brian and his nephew. But he had been around horses long enough to see the signs.   The horse wasn't the only who appeared frustrated, however.  They watched as Justin climbed down from the sulky, unstrapped his helmet from his head...and promptly threw it down onto the ground in dismay.

 

"Damn it!" he growled in disgust.  "That ride was for shit!  Vic, can you take care of him?"

 

Vic eyed him sympathetically.  "Sure, Kid," he told him softly.  Justin nodded before he turned around to stomp away from them without saying another word.

 

Brian was briefly too stunned to act before he found his voice.  "Justin! Wait up!"  He hurried to catch up to his lover, who was quickly rushing off toward the house.  "Justin! _Stop_!" 

 

At last, just before he could get to the back gate, Brian reached out and grabbed his lover's wrist to turn him around to face him.  "Justin, talk to me." 

 

"What's to talk about? You've seen me practice before.  Is that what you want? To take True Blue out on the track? You can do that yourself, Brian. You know how to handle him better than I do." 

 

"No, Justin, that's NOT what I want.  What's wrong with you?"

 

His blue eyes flashed as he replied curtly, "There's NOTHING wrong with me. I'm just tired." 

 

"Bullshit," Brian countered.  "That's not it."  He could feel Vic's and Emmett's eyes on them, even though Brian continued to stare at Justin, who stood there with his lips pressed firmly together in agitation.

 

"Oh, really? And just what might that be?" 

 

"Vic saw it.  And even _I_ saw it."  The older boy's voice softened as he explained, "You're scared.  And you have every right to be," he hurriedly added. But it was too late - either that, or it didn't matter. The anger was written all over Justin's sweat-covered face.

 

"I am NOT scared!" he insisted.  "Why should I be scared? Did I look scared when I was practicing with you?" 

 

"No," Brian admitted.  "But that was before it got closer to your race.  There was no pressure while you were practice racing with _me_. But now that your next race is coming up this weekend, you're beginning to think about what it will be like to be racing with the others in front of a large crowd again. And that is making you nervous, and causing you to hesitate."

 

"You can think whatever you want, Brian," he told him stiffly.  He wrenched his hand away from Brian's grasp as he turned to head into the house, but he didn't get far.

 

"I am NOT your enemy, Justin!" Brian shouted.  "I _love_ you, and I want to _help_ you, don't you see that?  Justin, please..."

 

He watched as the other boy took a few steps away from him, and then stopped; as he stood there, Justin's shoulders seemed to droop.  Finally, after a few seconds, Brian walked over to him just as he turned around to face him, tears in his eyes.  "Justin..." Unable to stop himself, Brian swept him up into a firm embrace, sliding his arms around the slender body to hold him close.  "I understand.  You have every right to be nervous."  He could hear sniffling as Justin lay his head against his chest and slid his own arms around Brian's back.  "No one thinks any less of you." 

 

After several moments, Justin finally sighed before pulling back just enough to look Brian in the eyes; Brian couldn't help reaching up to gently brush some of the wetness away from his cheeks with his thumbs.  "You're right," he whispered truthfully.  "I AM afraid. I don't really know why. I know I don't have anything to fear anymore; that all of them are in jail, and the ringleader is dead.  My mind knows that...but I guess my body doesn't."  He shook his head in self-loathing.  "Vic's right. I WAS hesitating out there. And even that little bit of hesitation may cost me the race on Saturday. I can't let that happen." 

 

"Why, Justin?  Would it be so bad if someone else won for once?  With your father working again now, your family won't have to depend solely on you to get by." 

 

Justin let out a shaky breath as he slid his hands up to rest them against Brian's shoulders. He shook his head. "It's not that I can't let anyone else win," he tried to explain.  "It's more like I would know I didn't do my best, and I would be disappointed in ME."  He gazed into the sympathetic, hazel eyes.  "You would be disappointed, too, Brian, if it were you out there and you didn't do your best. Admit it." 

 

"Yes, I would be," he conceded. "But if I had experienced the kind of fall that YOU did, Justin...and almost gotten myself killed - twice - I would be nervous, too.  Don't be so hard on yourself, Ace." 

 

That at least earned a half-smile as Justin replied softly, "Ace, huh? I don't feel like much of an ace at the moment.  More like a joker." 

 

Brian grinned.  "No...never a joker," he decided as he slid his arms back around Justin's body to pull him a little closer, not concerned about anyone watching them. At that moment, it was just the two of them.  "Justin, if you decided not to race for a while longer..."

 

Blue eyes flashed. "No, Brian! I can't do that! Don't you see?  If I don't do this now, I'm afraid I may never get the balls to do it at all!  I have to face this...this fear.  I know it's irrational." 

 

"But it's still there anyway, isn't it?" 

 

Justin nodded sadly. 

 

"What can I do to help you?" Brian murmured as he stared into the fathomless, expressive eyes.  "You know I'd do anything for you."  He rolled his lips under, suddenly feeling almost shy over his heartfelt declaration. But he meant it; he WOULD do anything to make Justin feel secure, and make him happy. 

 

"I know you would," Justin whispered back. "And I love you for that." 

 

" _Only_ that?"

 

Justin grinned as Brian grinned back at him, earning the hoped-for response.  "Well, maybe more than just that," he replied as Brian's smile grew wider.  "But you know what I mean. It's not the money; not this time. It's more like my pride is involved here.  Do you understand?" 

 

Brian nodded.  "Yeah, I understand.  So what are you going to do about it, Mr. Taylor?  I think I know of a way to help you relax." 

 

Justin's face flushed at the thought.  "I'll _bet_ you do," he replied as Brian smiled at him playfully.  "Somehow I think that might have just the opposite effect, though."  He gazed over at Headstrong, who Vic had by the reins at the moment, leading him over to the stables for a cool-down.  "No, we both know what I need to do. I need to get back on him, and keep practicing until I feel confident again. But I can't right now; Headstrong needs a break for a while."

 

"And so do you," Brian told him firmly.  He broke off his embrace to reach for his hand.  "Come on; let's go for a walk." 

 

Justin stood there for a moment until he smiled and nodded.  "Okay," he softly agreed, reaching to grasp Brian's hand in his.  Fingers twined together, they turned to head toward the wooded swimming hole, their favorite spot to be alone. 

 

* * *

 

_An Hour Later..._

 

 

"Feel better?" Brian murmured as he rubbed Justin's shoulder.  The two of them were sitting side by side on ‘their' log - the one where Brian had given the other boy his leather sketchpad.  Since that time, he had seen Justin carrying it around frequently, and had seen several sketches Justin had drawn. They were amazingly lifelike and intricate in nature, and constantly astounded him. 

 

Justin nodded. Any time he was in Brian's arms, he always felt so safe and protected.  "I wish you could ride with me Saturday," he told him as he lay his cheek against Brian's chest.  "Then I wouldn't be nervous at all." 

 

"Is that allowed?" Brian raised his head to look Justin in the eyes.

 

Justin shook his head.  "No...just wishful thinking," he admitted as Brian nodded.

 

"Well, you know I will still be there with you...my eyes won't leave you until you cross that finish line...in first place."

 

Justin laughed softly.  "No pressure, huh?  You really think my jitters will go away once I'm there? I'm wondering if they'll actually get worse."

 

"No, they won't," Brian assured him as he continued to caress the other boy's shoulder.  "You will rise to the top and be triumphant, just like you always are.  I know you can do it.  And whether you win or not, I know you will do your best. That is all anyone can ask of you." 

 

Justin nodded.  "You know...just because that gambling cartel was taken care of doesn't mean that there aren't others. Gambling is pretty common in the horseracing business, and not just with sulky races."

 

Brian nodded at him, his heart hammering at the thought.  "Yeah, I can imagine it's not much different than Formula One racing, or any other kind of sport."  He paused as he lifted his head.  "Justin, can I ask you something?"

 

Justin frowned slightly as he tilted his face upward to look at him, but nodded.  "Sure.  What do you want to know?" 

 

"If you didn't have to worry about the money, and you were given the choice to race or not to race, with no pressure or strings attached, and not have to worry about helping to keep your family afloat financially, at least until your father can pull his own weight, so to speak...would you do it? Still race, I mean?" 

 

"Why do you ask?" 

 

Brian shrugged.  "Just wondering."

 

"No, you're not just ‘wondering,'" Justin replied firmly.  "There's more to it than that."

 

He grinned down at Justin ruefully. "You know me too well sometimes, you know that?"

 

"Just answer the question," Justin gently demanded as he stood up straighter on the fallen log and stared at him expectantly, his body turned toward the other boy as he rested his hands, palms down, on his chest.  

 

Brian sighed in resignation.  "It's just that you are so talented with your art, Justin.  I've seen what you can do. It's incredible.  I could never draw like you do.  And I know that's where your real talent - and passion - lie.  You're are definitely gifted artistically." 

 

Justin gazed into his eyes thoughtfully.  "And...?  That isn't any secret, Brian.  You've always known that."

 

Brian nodded.  "Yes.  I know. Vanderbilt.  Equestrian art therapy.  I remember." 

 

Justin nodded back at him.  "So why the question about my racing?  I'm not going to Vanderbilt until next fall." 

 

Brian swallowed hard.  He really didn't want to think about that, because he knew what that also meant:  separation.  "I know.  It's just that..."

 

"What?"

 

"I don't want you to ever lose sight of your dreams. That would be a big waste." 

 

"And what about you?" 

 

"Me?" 

 

"Yes," Justin replied softly.  "We always seem to be talking about MY dreams. What about yours, Brian?  Now that you've decided to stay here?  You have decided to do that...right?"  Justin held his breath; even though he and Brian had talked about that before, he still knew that Brian had more than enough financial capital now to go anywhere he wanted. Would he only wait long enough for him to head off to college before he got the itch to leave for somewhere more exciting, more in tune with what he was used to? 

 

To his enormous relief, Brian nodded.  "Yes, I've decided to stay."  He gazed out onto the shimmering swimming hole, nestled among all the shade trees. This particular place had been the start of his and Justin's relationship, so it would always hold a special spot in his heart. "This place has a way of capturing you," he whispered.  "Don't know exactly why...but it does."  He looked into Justin's eyes so intently that it made the other boy blush.  "Of course, you're the main reason why it's so attractive.  But even when you're...gone," Brian had a hard time getting that word out, "...even then, I'll still be here.  I owe that much to Will and Sarah. And I've come to care a lot about them. I would want to make sure that they are taken care of, like they have taken care of me." 

 

"I'm glad," Justin told him with a smile.  "But I still want to know, Brian.  What will you do now?"

 

Brian teased, "Well, I can always be a big shot sulky driver, especially since the competition is about to get a lot less difficult." 

 

Justin laughed.  "Brian! I had to train years to get to where I am now? You don't really think you can go out there and win with just  a few days of training, do you?"  He paused before continuing.  "Besides, I don't see you doing that as a life profession.  You have a lot more potential than that."

 

Brian sighed.  "Sometimes I wonder," he confessed.

 

"Don't say that, Brian!  I believe in you. You have to, too." 

 

"Justin, what could I possibly do?  I was a slacker in high school.  Yeah, I managed to graduate. And had fairly good grades oddly enough, even though I preferred to drag race or get stoned rather than study.  But that was pure luck." 

 

"Surely there was something you liked in high school." 

 

Brian shrugged, his fingers continuing to stroke Justin's shoulder.  "I enjoyed playing soccer," he told him.  "And I liked my business classes. I was damn good at them, too." He smirked.  "I could talk anyone into anything back then, even my teachers. My class in economics was a breeze; at least when I had to make up campaign pitches for fake businesses.  My teacher in the class said I could sell ice to an Eskimo." 

 

Justin grinned as he tenderly brushed some hair back from Brian's face, hooking it behind his ears.  His touch was light, making Brian shiver slightly in response.   "I can believe that," he told him softly.  "You could talk me into anything." 

 

Brian grinned back at him smugly.  "Anything? I could think of something quite pleasurable right now."

 

Justin's face warmed.  "It's too chilly for that today," he told him, although his body was tingling at the thought.  "Besides, there's something else I need to do."

 

"Oh? What?"

 

Justin let out a deep breath before he explained, "I need to practice some more. And this time I won't back down." 

 

Brian smiled at him before the two of them leaned in for a kiss.  It lasted several seconds before both boys reluctantly pulled back.  Standing up, Brian reached down to pull Justin up to stand next to him.  "I knew you wouldn't," he answered him.  "And I'll be there with you Saturday...and always."

 

* * *

 

_Later that afternoon...._

Vic nodded in satisfaction as Justin raced around the track like a madman; gone was the initial hesitation and uncertainty from earlier. In its place was a boy possessed; a boy racing like the wind. Headstrong sensed it, too; it was evident in the furious pace he was maintaining. As Justin neared him, Vic nodded, pleased, before pushing down the timing mechanism and glancing down at his newest time. It was in line with one of Justin's fastest times, either in practice or on the field.  He grinned as Brian walked over to him.  "I don't know what you did to that boy...but he's like a different person this afternoon." 

 

Brian watched his lover carefully, convinced that Vic was right. There was definitely a big difference between Justin's hesitation earlier, and his pace now. Even the way he carried himself was different; more confident and much less rigid.  It was the Justin he was used to seeing during a race, and it filled him with relief.  He nodded.  "Yeah...he's back to his old self," Brian declared.  At last, he turned to peer over at the older man, who was still staring at him in wonder.  "I didn't do anything special," he explained.  "I guess you could say I just gave him a pep talk." 

 

Vic nodded as he turned his attention back to his young protégé.  "Well, whatever you did, it seems to have worked."  He watched as Justin neared them again, waiting until he passed before he pressed the stop button on his watch, noticing he was even faster this time.  His eyes widened slightly.  "Fastest time he's had since the accident," he informed Brian.  "That must have been one hell of a pep talk.  You sure that's _all_ you did?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye.

 

Brian rolled his eyes.  "Yes, I'm sure. Get your head out of the gutter, Vic."

 

Vic laughed.  "Okay, okay." His face turned more serious as he added, "You're good for him, Brian.  It's about time someone treated him the way he should be treated."

 

"We're good for each other," Brian replied softly, never taking his eyes off his lover.

 

Vic nodded next to his side, reaching to squeeze Brian's shoulder briefly before they both turned their attention back to the track. 

 

* * *

 

_Saturday Afternoon...Red Mill_

Holding his trophy triumphantly, Justin waited just long enough to pose next to Headstrong for the press before he handed the silver horse statue to his mother and promptly took off toward the stables.  A knowing look passed between Craig and Jennifer as they watched their youngest son hurrying away. 

 

"Why do I have the feeling he's not heading back to Headstrong's stall to gather up his things to go home?" Craig asked dryly.  "He hasn't moved that fast since junior high when we visited the Hendersons and told him he could have one of their goats for his 4H project." 

 

Jennifer laughed.  "Yes, I remember that.  That was short-lived, though; just like his brief fascination with the trumpet in middle school."

 

Craig nodded as he observed Justin rushing off toward the stables before he disappeared into the crowd.  "Yeah.  Everything except his art...and that Kinney boy."

 

"Craig, that ‘Kinney boy,' as you put it, has a name.  I thought we were past this?  That you were okay with them being together?"

 

Craig sighed as he brushed his hand through his hair; he turned to face his wife before he replied, "I am. I guess.  I mean, I've given up trying to keep them apart.  You know how determined and stubborn Justin can be when he has his heart set on something.  Like I told you before, though; I just don't want him to get hurt." 

 

"Hasn't Brian shown by now that he has our son's best interests at heart?  I'm the first one to admit I'd rather Justin not be so invested in another boy at his age. But neither one of us can deny they care about each other.  I think Brian has more than proven himself by now."

 

"I know," Craig concurred.  He shook his head.  "Besides, this will all be over once Justin goes to college in the spring.  This infatuation will blow over, and he will find someone else eventually once he gets involved with his studies." 

 

Jennifer gave him a long-suffering look.  "Do you really believe that, Craig?  You _know_ Justin!  When he gives his heart to something - or someone - he gives it to them wholeheartedly."  She shook her head in disagreement.  "No, I don't know how they will handle a long-distance relationship, but I doubt seriously if just having space between them is going to keep them apart.  Or destroy what they have. Their bond is too strong. Surely you can see that."

 

"Jen, no matter how someone feels about someone else, having hundreds of miles between them is going to make a difference.  They may THINK they will continue this infatuation between them, but time will eventually work against them. Time, and Justin's maturity while he is in college.  You'll see."

 

"Yes, it will," Jennifer murmured, refusing to believe that. She knew her son way too well.  "Time will tell."  At least they agreed on that. 

 

* * *

 

The smile on Brian's face rivaled Justin's as he looked up from Headstrong's stall to see his lover rushing up to him.  He barely had time to open his arms up in invitation before he was wrapped up in a tight embrace.  He heard Justin laughing joyously at him as he impulsively lifted him off his feet and twirled him around in celebration, unable to keep the smile from remaining on his face.  Stopping to slowly let Justin slide back onto the dirt, straw-covered floor, he gazed into the deep, blue eyes before the two came together for a kiss.  "I knew you could do it," he told him after they were finally forced to come up for air.

 

Justin smiled at him, his eyes open and clearly broadcasting his love and appreciation.  "Because you had faith in me that I could."

 

Brian shook his head.  "No. It was all you, Justin.  I just helped you to see that."

 

"I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that, then," Justin told him, as he played with the back of Brian's hair.  "Why don't we celebrate, though?  Lunch is on me." 

 

Brian grinned.  "Big spender. What does a hot dog cost here? Five bucks?  What if I want a fried pickle to go with that?"  He laughed as Justin smacked him on the chest, catching his hand in his as he brought it up to his lips to kiss each finger; he watched as Justin's eyes darkened with the telltale signs of desire that no doubt echoed his own as he placed both their hands down on his chest.  "Well, if you're spending, I want the works," he told him with a grin.

 

"Good," Justin remarked. "Because I'm starving; let's go."  Brian laughed as he allowed the other boy to pull him out of the stable. 

 

* * *

 

 

_Late September...Morning - Taylor Farm_

Justin's jaw dropped as he glanced up from the breakfast table to see his brother walking over to sit down beside him.  It wasn't just that Jared was awake before 8:30 a.m.; he was also wet from a shower he must have just taken, as well as dressed to go out.  His scuffed up, canvas duffel bag was slung over his shoulder as he dropped it down on the floor.  "Sleep in your clothes?"

 

Jared snorted as Jennifer walked over and poured her oldest son some orange juice.  "Do I look like I slept in these clothes, Squirt?" 

 

Justin shrugged as he poured way too much sugar into his oatmeal.  "Well, I figured that could be the only explanation as to why you're awake and out of bed this early." 

 

Jared rolled his eyes.  "Yeah, and I'm wet because I pissed all over myself."

 

"Jared, please," Jennifer admonished him as she wiped her hands on her apron and sat down at the other side of the table.  She turned to peer over at Justin with a smile as she told him, "Your brother is awake and dressed because he has a job." 

 

"Excuse me?  I could have sworn you just said that Jared has a job. Those two words don't belong in the same sentence."   His mother pressed her lips tightly together in exasperation.   "Are you serious?" 

 

"Yes, I'm serious. Tell him, Jared.  I'm so proud of you!" she exclaimed.

 

Jared shrugged.  "I'm going to be helping Scooter at the gas station, working on cars." 

 

Justin's eyes widened in surprise.  "Really? As in a PAID job?" 

 

Jared huffed in indignation.  "Do you think I would work for free?  Of course, it's a paid job!  He's even going to let me stay above the garage in Doug's old apartment as a sort of night watchman. All I have to do is take care of the shop when he's gone, and pay for my utilities & groceries.  He's even found me a clunker that I can work on in my spare time and fix up for some wheels."

 

"Well, I'm glad I'm sitting down," Justin deadpanned.  "You've got a job and you're moving out, too?"  He couldn't help being just a bit relieved by that. Jared would always be his brother, and he would always love him. But would they ever have that close bond back that they had shared before?  Probably not, he surmised.  Perhaps being apart would help their relationship in a strange way, because having Jared back in the house just served to start up their competition once more, even though this time it wasn't over Brian.  It was more over who would get the most attention from their parents.  He knew that was juvenile and immature, but with Jared he just seemed to bring the worst out in him. 

 

"Why, are you going to miss me?"  Jared asked with his customary smirk. 

 

To his surprise, Justin nodded.  "Yeah.  Believe it or not, I will," he told him softly.  He couldn't really imagine a time until recently that he and Jared hadn't been in the same house.  Until Brian had come along, he and his brother had been close; competitive, but close. 

 

Jared's boastful façade diminished as he half-smiled.  Reaching over, he ruffled Justin's hair as his younger brother scowled at him.  Jared laughed; he had forgotten by now how many times he had done that, just to aggravate him.  It was almost a family tradition by now.  "Me, too, Squirt," he told him sincerely.  "Guess I'll have to find someone else to watch over you.  You're on your own now, little brother."

 

Justin huffed.  "I can take care of myself."

 

Jared peered over at him affectionately.  "Yeah...I guess you can," he told him quietly.  "You're not such a little squirt anymore." 

 

Justin's face warmed at the unusual but unexpected compliment.  "Thanks," he murmured.  "But don't expect to get rid of me that easily," he warned.  "I'll still be in town enough to make sure you're staying out of trouble." 

 

Jared snorted.  "Trust me, after all this, I plan on staying under the radar." 

 

Jennifer smiled.  "And you know you are welcome here anytime, Jared.  In fact, we expect you here at least once a week for supper.  And I'm sure that your father will be more than happy to help you with your car."

 

Jared nodded.  "I'm counting on it.  Hey, now I even get auto parts at wholesale!  And with Scooter's junkyard behind the gas station, he said I can have any salvage part I can find out there. So I'll have it all gussied up in no time.  You won't even recognize it. Scooter's even offered to let me do some subcontracting work on customers' cars, like pin striping and custom paint jobs; he told me I can keep half of whatever I get for it. He thinks it will help increase his business."

 

"You seem pretty excited about this," Justin observed, hearing the enthusiasm and animation in his brother's voice. 

 

Jared shrugged.  "I know I'm no Einstein," he admitted.  "You're the smart one."  Justin started to protest before his brother added, "But I'm the prettier one."  He laughed as he earned a snort from his brother.  "Just trying to get you riled up, Squirt.  Someone has to keep you on the up and up. But I guess Brian will do that in my absence."  He paused.  "He really cares about you. You know that, right?" 

 

Jennifer watched the exchange between her two sons, relieved that they had seemed to come to an understanding of sorts.  Jared even sounded sincere about Brian's place in his brother's life; quite a departure from before when they were competing for his affection. 

 

"Yeah," Justin answered softly, his face tinged with pink.  "I care about him, too." 

 

Jared nodded as he hurriedly wiped his mouth and scooted back from the table.  "Well, I'd better get going," he explained as the sound of a truck coming up the dirt road could be heard.  "That must be Scooter's truck. He said he'd come pick me up."  He chuckled.  "At least I won't have a big commute to work," he joked. 

 

Jennifer stood up to pull him into an embrace, her voice choking as she said, "Remember what I said about supper.  Take care of yourself."  She reluctantly let go of him.  "I'm sure your father will be in touch about helping you with your car," he reminded him as he nodded. 

 

"Thanks, Mom. For everything," he murmured, swallowing the lump in his throat.  He took a deep breath to face his brother and smirked.  "Well, the chicken coop and the cows are all yours now, Squirt. Don't go snipe hunting without me, though."  He laughed as Justin scowled at him indignantly.  Justin had fallen for that joke when he had been nine years old, thinking there really _were_ snipes around to hunt. It had taken a few weeks for Jared and his friends to stop making fun of him for that, too. 

 

"Shut up," he growled, but there was no malice in his words as he eventually grinned back at him.  "I'll be asking mom and dad to tear out that wall between our bedrooms now that you're leaving for good," he stated. 

 

"Justin, we will do nothing of the kind, young man!" Jennifer exclaimed.  She grinned at them sheepishly as her two sons laughed at her response, both of them knowing that Justin was kidding. "Well, you know what I mean.  Jared, you will always be welcome here, honey." 

 

He nodded.  "Take good care of Mom and Dad, Justin.  And...take good care of yourself."  Justin nodded as his brother impulsively hugged him. It was only for a brief moment, however, before he pulled back, embarrassed.  "Got to go," he told them, as he picked up his duffel bag and headed toward the door.  Justin and his mother walked over to the back door to watch Jared climb up into Scooter's truck bed and wave before the mechanic turned his truck around and headed back out toward the highway.

 

Jennifer sighed as she placed her arm around her younger son's shoulders.  "That's one out of the nest," she murmured, the sadness evident in her voice.  "And you won't be far behind," she added softly. 

 

"That's not until next fall, Mom," he reminded her, wrapping his arm around her slim waist.  "I'm not going anywhere until then. And you'll see me all the time, even then." 

 

She pulled him closer as he instinctively laid his head against her shoulder.  "You're growing up way too fast, Justin.  But you'll always be my baby, no matter how old you get." She smiled as she heard a responding snort from him.  "Well, you will be," she insisted.  She sighed as she released him.  "But I also know that you're growing up to be a fine, young man. A man that I am very proud of.  I love you so much, Justin." 

 

Justin's eyes watered as he smiled through his tears.  "I love you, too, Mom." 

 


	36. Love Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin gets some exciting news, which threatens to permanently split the lovers apart.

Craig looked up from the paperwork he had been studying to glance over at the young man quietly peering back at him expectantly.  "Looks like the investment banker has done a fine job with your inheritance, Brian," he told him, confirming Brian's thoughts.  "I'm glad they followed through for you. I have always thought highly of their integrity and business acumen.  You should have quite an impressive nest egg to do whatever you want to do in the future." 

 

"Thank you, Mr. Taylor," Brian told him sincerely.  The two of them had forged a civil, if not pleasant relationship with Justin as their anchor; they wouldn't ever be the best of friends, but by now Brian was convinced that Justin's father knew he only wanted the best for his son, and that he would never purposely hurt him.  He had to respect a man who watched over his children the way that this man did.  "I thought they were doing a good job, but it's a relief to get another opinion, especially from someone whose specialty is accounting." 

 

"Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about," Craig assured him as Brian nodded in satisfaction.  He paused.  "May I ask you a question, Brian?" he inquired quietly as he studied the young man who had become such an integral part of his youngest son's life.

 

"Of course." 

 

Craig nodded.  "Speaking of the future, you realize that my son will be heading off to college in the fall." 

 

Brian swallowed hard. "Yes, I realize that," he replied softly, his hands clasped tightly together in his lap.  In fact, it was uppermost on his mind most of the time; that, and how fucking difficult it would be to say goodbye to the boy he had come to love, and presently had the luxury of seeing every day.  The boy who had turned his life around, but also toppled his world upside down, but in a good way.  Pittsburgh and its attractions seemed like a world away now, and not nearly as enticing as they once had seemed. 

 

"I know the two of you have grown very close over the past year."  Craig could no longer deny that their feelings were genuine.  He still wasn't 100% comfortable with this older boy being so deeply involved with his impressionable son, but he also knew Brian wasn't going away. At least, not as far as he knew.  "What are _your_ plans, Brian?  You don't seem like the type to be some lifetime sulky driver; no more than my son could be." 

 

"No, Sir," Brian told him firmly with a shake of his head.  "I mean, it's definitely a rush, and it's exciting when I'm racing around the track with True Blue," he admitted.  "But that's all it is; a temporary thrill. I'm not planning on following in my cousin's footsteps." 

 

Craig studied the young man thoughtfully.  "I think that's a smart decision."  He paused for a moment, thinking Justin might not be too happy with what he was about to do, but feeling a need to do it anyway out of concern and love for him.  "I admit I don't really know a lot about you.  About what your goals are.  You do have some, I assume?" 

 

Brian instantly bristled inside, but ultimately decided not to be offended by that question; rather, he chose to view it as curious interest and just be upfront with the man.  "To be honest, I wasn't the most...diligent student growing up."  He grimaced.  "And good old Mom & Dad weren't very supportive, either.  Frankly, they thought I was a piece of shit, and they treated me that way, too."

 

"That must have been difficult for you." 

 

Brian snorted.  "That's an understatement.  Let's just say they didn't bring me up the same way I'm sure you and Mrs. Taylor raised Justin and Jared.  They didn't care if I roamed the streets at night, or skipped school.  Not as long as I did it on the QT, and didn't do anything to publicly embarrass them."  He laughed derisively.  "I guess I slipped up when I stole that car, and wrecked it.  That sort of brought things out into the spotlight." 

 

Craig couldn't help grinning slightly over that remark, despite his abhorrence for deliberately thumbing one's nose at the law.  "Yes, I suppose it would," he told him dryly before he grew more serious.  "Brian...surely you are interested in something else...other than my son, that is." 

 

Brian felt his face grow warm; it was a bit odd talking to his lover's father about that subject.  "Of course I am," he replied a little defensively.  "I'm not dumb."

 

"No, I would never think that," Craig assured him.  "In fact, I suspect you are highly intelligent.  A little stubborn and rebellious, perhaps. But _not_ dumb.  I'm just trying to figure out what makes you tick."

 

Brian smirked over the choice of words.  "Makes me tick?" 

 

Craig shrugged.  "What drives you. What makes you get up in the morning."  Now it was Craig's turn to feel embarrassed as he realized what he had just said.  "You know what I mean."

 

Brian nodded, deciding to let that innuendo drop.  "Well...I like photography," he told him.  "I like to see things from different angles.  And I told Justin that besides sports, there was one area in high school that I was good at - business." 

 

Craig's eyes widened in surprise.  "Business?"  That would have probably been the last thing he would thought this boy would say.

 

"Well, marketing, actually, to be specific.  In school, I used to go through all these magazines in the library to find various kinds of products, and then I would develop a different way to sell it; a more innovative way."  He shook his head.  "Some of the ads in those magazines were so lame.  I could have sold a hell of a lot more with what I came up with than those morons must have done with _their_ ads.  The whole key is finding out what the right demographic is, and then appealing to that market.  Those suits up in their glass towers never seemed to understand that.  But my marketing instructor said I had a knack for it.  And I liked it," Brian revealed with a shrug.

 

Craig nodded, noticing how animated the boy had become as he talked; it reminded him a lot of how Justin always talks about his art.  He smiled.  "I can see you _did_ like it.  I can hear it in your voice." 

 

Brian blushed. "Well...yeah..." he mumbled, feeling a little awkward.  "I was good at it. And when the teacher used to tell me how impressed he was with what I came up with...it made _me_ feel good, too," he admitted. 

 

Craig silently digested all this information.  He had already figured out that the Kinney boy was intelligent, and bordered a little bit on the cocky side. But what he _hadn't_ figured out was how much vulnerability and even insecurity lay beneath the otherwise self-assured surface.  He could see how Justin might be drawn to this young man, for once you spent some more time with him, it was easily apparent that he was much more complex than one would think.  "Well, then...if that is something you enjoy, Brian, then you should pursue it."

 

Brian pondered Craig's statement.  "Maybe," he conceded.  "But it's not quite that easy. I didn't get the best of grades in school - except for my economics and business classes," he told him. 

 

"But you said your teacher was impressed with your work in those areas."

 

Brian nodded. 

 

"Well, then how about getting him or her to write a letter of recommendation for you?" 

 

Brian frowned.  "A letter of recommendation for what purpose?  A job?"  He laughed.  "There aren't exactly a lot of jobs for marketing out here in the sticks." 

 

"No," Craig admitted with a small smile.  "But with the type of investment you have - with the size of it, and with smart choices in the future under the guidance of a good investment banker - you could go anywhere you want for a job."

 

Brian studied the other man intently, wondering if there was more to what he was saying.  He wasn't sure, but he still had to ask.  "You mean...away from Justin."  To his surprise, however, Justin's father seemed to take offense at that statement; if he had been a cat, Brian thought the hackles would have been raised on his back. 

 

"No, Brian, that is NOT what I'm saying," the man growled.  Craig let out a deep breath to calm himself.  When he next spoke, his voice was dramatically calmer and quieter.  "I'm just saying that neither of you should plan your entire life according to what is happening now...nor should you limit your opportunities based on some romantic Romeo and Juliet notion that the two of you might have."

 

Now it was Brian's turn to become offended.  "You make it sound like it's some sort of fly-by-night type of relationship that will change like the wind does." 

 

Craig sighed.  "Brian, you're 19 years old...and Justin is 17.  Both of you still have your lives ahead of you.  Believe me, you will go through many relationships before you finally find the one you want to settle down with." 

 

Brian pursed his lips tightly together in irritation before asking, "And how many relationships did YOU have before you and Jennifer met and got married?"  He watched as Craig squirmed in his chair. 

 

"That...was different," Craig replied quietly, not quite sure he believed that, however. 

 

"Oh? Do tell.  How was it different, Mr. Taylor?  How old were you and Mrs. Taylor when the two of _you_ met?"

 

"That's not the point," Craig maintained. "We were both in college by then." 

 

"What difference does that make?" Brian countered.  "You didn't answer my question."

 

Justin's father rubbed his face across his jaw before he revealed, "Jennifer was very smart for her age, and took advance placement classes in high school. So she was able to enroll as a college freshman at UK when she was still 17.  I met her when I was a sophomore, so I would have been...19 then."  He didn't realize what he had said until Brian suddenly developed a ‘cat-in-the-canary' look.  "Shit," he muttered under his breath.  He shook his head as Brian smirked back at him.  "We were the same age as you and Justin are now." 

 

Brian's grin turned broader.  _Touché._ "Exactly.  And how many boyfriends did Mrs. Taylor have before the two of you met?"

 

"Well...." He sighed heavily this time.  "I think maybe a couple in high school...for proms and other dances.  I was her first serious relationship, though."  He stared over at the perceptive young man peering back at him.  "You think it's the same thing."  It wasn't really a question. 

 

"Yes, I do," Brian told him quietly. He paused for a moment.  "Mr. Taylor, you might not believe this. But I love Justin.  I probably did from the first day I saw him by that fence. I was just too pigheaded to realize it at the time.  And when I saw him at the swimming hole later..."  His face turned red as Craig gave him a curious stare.  Obviously Justin hadn't shared that particular experience with his father - and for good reason.  "Well...let's just say that I was fascinated with him.  He was feisty, independent...and the most beautiful boy I had ever seen." 

 

Craig had to smile slightly over the last part.  He had never heard anyone else call his son ‘beautiful' before, except for Jennifer.  "And Justin fell just as hard," he admitted.  "Maybe even harder. That's what made your fooling around with Jared so painful for him."

 

Brian nodded, wincing at the sound of ‘fooling around.'  "I know. But that's exactly what it was...fooling around.  Like I always did. But with Justin, it's different.  It's _always_ been different somehow."

 

The corner of Craig's mouth quirked upward.  "Yeah...I guess love has a way of doing that to you."  He paused as he studied the earnest-looking young man in front of him.  "I do think you have good intentions regarding my son, Brian," he told him.  "Whatever happens between the two of you when he heads off to college, I want you to promise me that you won't hurt him.  He may be feisty and independent as you say, but he can also be very tenderhearted. And he's fallen hard for you.  That much even _I_ can tell." 

 

"I guess no one can totally promise that they won't hurt someone else if they are being completely honest," Brian admitted.  "But I give you my word that I will never intentionally do anything to hurt Justin.  I love him, and, yes, I want to be with him, but above all else I want him to be happy." 

 

Craig slowly nodded.  "Well, then, we are in complete agreement on that."  He reached his hand over the desk as he told Brian, "I'm glad this talk wasn't just about your finances.  I think my son could have done a lot worse than you." 

 

Brian barked out a laugh as he shook his hand.  "Thanks...I think."

 

"It's a compliment," Craig assured him as Brian nodded, pleased that Justin's father was slowly coming around to accepting them as a couple. 

 

"Well, I've taken up enough of your time," he told Craig.  "Thank you again for reviewing my portfolio.  And for the other advice as well."   He scooted back from his chair to stand.

 

Craig nodded as he watched the Walkers' nephew turn around and head out of his study, mulling over their conversation carefully before he slowly turned back to his ledger work. 

 

* * *

_Spring - Walker Farm - Mid-Afternoon_

Sarah twisted her head to peer at the back screen door as she heard scuffling feet, smiling as she recognized their visitor.  "Justin!  Come on in, Sweetheart.  I just baking a lemon pie, and one of the pieces has your name on it."

 

Justin grinned as he opened the screen door and walked inside.  "I hope it's a big piece," he teased her.  He took a whiff.  "Your kitchen always smells so good after you've been baking." 

 

Sarah beamed.  "Well, thank you; I'll take that as a compliment."  Justin walked over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. 

 

"Here you go," she told him, cutting a large piece of the still-warm pie and placing it on a medium-sized plate.  "That's about the right size for a young man with such a healthy appetite," she told Justin, who turned red in the face with embarrassment.  "Nothing wrong with that," she hastened to add as she pulled out a nearby kitchen chair.  "I'll get you some milk." 

 

"Thank you, Ma'am," he told her with a smile.  "Uh..."

 

"He's in town with his uncle, picking up some feed," she replied with a grin as Justin peered back at her sheepishly.  "But they should be back soon."  She noticed a folded, white piece of paper sticking out of Justin's shirt pocket.  "Was there something you wanted to tell him?" she asked curiously, noting how the young man was practically bouncing in his chair. 

 

"If I don't tell him soon, I'm going to bust!" he exclaimed suddenly. 

 

Sarah chuckled over his statement; she poured the milk out and walked over to place the glass down next to Justin's pie, taking the seat directly to his left.  "Well, from the look on your face, I would say it's good news.  Would I do until he gets back?" 

 

Justin pushed a large bite of his pie into his mouth and swallowed a few times before he nodded back at her, a radiant smile on his face.  He pulled the piece of paper out of his pocket and wordlessly handed it to her, watching as she opened it up and began to read it.  Her smile almost rivaled his own as she realized what she was reading.  "Justin!  Oh, my stars!  You received a full scholarship to Vanderbilt for the entire four years?" 

 

Justin nodded, his eyes lit up with enthusiasm.  "I got it in the mail today.  Isn't it amazing?  I still can't believe it!  My mom and dad are over the moon for me.  Now I can't WAIT to go to school!" 

 

Sarah smiled at him tenderly; Justin was almost like another son to her by now.  "Well, I'm proud of you, too."  Justin beamed at her as she told him, "You know, I'm really going to miss you when you head off to school," she said, her eyes misting up.  "You have always been such a blessing to Will and me.  I'm sure your parents will really miss you, too."

 

"Yeah...I'll miss all of you, too," Justin murmured, his face falling just a bit as another thought came to him.  He had been so excited about showing Brian his scholarship letter that he had forgotten the Walkers and his parents weren't the _only_ ones he would be leaving behind.  How was he ever going to say goodbye to Brian, even if it WAS temporary?  He knew Brian was planning on staying here to help out his aunt and uncle, but they would only see each other mainly during holidays, or when one of them could briefly get away.  Vanderbilt was just far enough away to be TOO far for a convenient, quick jaunt.  To Justin, it might as well be a world apart.

 

"He's going to miss you most of all," Sarah whispered as Justin turned his face to look at her, his eyes watering as he swallowed hard. 

 

Sarah's heart went out to her young neighbor; she could tell how deeply he and Brian both cared about each other, and she knew Justin had to be torn about his decision to go to school.  "Justin...Honey, I know you hate the idea of you and Brian being apart. But it's only temporary.  If it's meant to be forever, you will still be together when you finish.  And I happen to think you two were made for each other."

 

Justin's eyes widened.  "You do?" he croaked out, his voice raspy with emotion. 

 

She smiled.  "Yes, I do," she assured him.  "Will always says I'm way too sentimental for his taste.  But even HE knows how perceptive I am.  I have good instincts.  And my sixth sense tells me that you and Brian will be together for a long time to come, no matter _where_ the two of you might be."

 

Justin nodded, blinking back tears.  "I do, too," he told her softly. 

 

Impulsively, she leaned over and embraced him tightly against her chest.  "It'll all work out, Justin. I'm sure of it.  You'll see." 

 

Justin sniffled before pulling back to nod at her gratefully. 

 

"Now eat your pie before Brian gets here. Something tells me he won't let you finish if you don't."

 

Nodding at her, Justin did as she urged, wondering how his heart could feel like it was bursting with excitement one second, and then ready to break the next. 

 

* * *

 

Ten minutes later, both of them could hear Will's truck heading up the dirt road, gravels flying under the tires as he slowed down in front of the barn and came to a stop, stepping out of the vehicle to attend to some bundles of straw in the bed.  Justin had just finished his pie as he scooted back from his seat and started to walk toward the kitchen sink.

 

"Shoo," Sarah gently prodded him.  "I'll take care of this.  You go find Brian." 

 

He nodded eagerly at her before heading over to the screen door, just in time to observe Brian with his shirt off, standing in the back of the truck bed as he threw the bales into a large wheelbarrow that his uncle was holding.  Once the wheelbarrow was full, Will would cart it into the barn, and then the process would start anew.

 

With one, last, grateful look at Brian's aunt, Justin pushed open the creaky screen door and stood on the back porch, his heart lurching as Brian turned to look at him and smiled that smile that made him weak in the knees. It was a smile that he discovered over time that he only reserved for him, and it made his pulse race as a result. 

 

"Hey!" Brian called over to him as he finished with the last of the straw.  He jumped down from the back of the truck to head toward him as Justin bounded down the steps.  He waited until his uncle was inside the barn before he hurriedly swept Justin up onto his tiptoes and gave him a brief but passionate kiss before putting him back down.  "What's up?" he asked.  "Besides the obvious," he added with a smirk, taking a moment to squeeze the item in question, and earning a groan in reaction.

 

Justin jumped out of his reach and laughed.  "Stop that!" he scolded him, as Brian pulled his tongue into his cheek.  "Can you take a break? I have something I want to show you." 

 

"Why, what a coincidence," Brian murmured, his voice sultry.  "I have something I'd like to show YOU, too."  He chuckled as he received Justin's typical response to their sexual repartee: a blush.  And he always found it incredibly appealing. 

 

"Brian!  Will you cut it out?"  Justin could feel his face growing hot in embarrassment, wondering if Brian's uncle had heard him. 

 

His companion leaned in closer to whisper in his ear, "You weren't telling me to stop last night behind the barn."  He chuckled as Justin turned even redder.  "How about we visit the silo tonight?  I'm feeling a little horny...I meant corny." 

 

Justin giggled.  "I think you were right the first time."  He reached over to grab Brian's hand.  "Come on; it won't take long."

 

"The hell it won't!" Brian protested; he laughed as Justin rolled his eyes at him.  "Uncle Will?  Can I take a short break?"

 

His uncle nodded as he observed the two together.  It was a common occurrence by now; where one went, the other one wasn't far behind.  "I reckon that would be okay," he decided.  "Just don't take too long, Brian; we still have those fields behind the barn to plow.  Supposed to rain this weekend."

 

"Yes, Sir," Brian told him.  Smiling at Justin, he allowed the boy to lead him where he wanted to go.  Frankly, he didn't give a damn _where_ they went, as long as he was with Justin.  "Do with me what you will, then, Farm Boy," he proclaimed with a grin. 

 

Soon, they found themselves at their favorite log near the swimming hole.  Over time, ithad been the place they always went to whenever they wanted privacy, whether that meantsex or not. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't. 

 

A few minutes later, Brian sat down besides the younger boy, who was practically buzzing with excitement.  "Okay, so tell me what it is before you self-destruct," he teased him.  "You're wound up about _something_." He watched as Justin reached inside his jeans and pulled out a slightly wrinkled piece of paper.  Wordlessly he handed it to Brian, who unfolded it.

 

He immediately noticed the _Vanderbilt University_ logo and name at the top of the linen sheet; obviously it had something to do with Justin's college plans.  As he began to read, however, he realized why Justin had been so psyched up earlier.  "Wow," he murmured in awe as he skimmed over the details outlining the scholarship Justin was being awarded.  He lifted his eyes to peer into the younger's boy's, noticing how brilliant they looked.  Justin was practically thrumming with excitement as well as what appeared to be a sense of accomplishment.  "They gave you a full ride?" 

 

Justin grinned with a nod.  "That's a good way to put it, since I'll be majoring in equine therapy."  He shook his head in wonder; it was still hard for all of it to sink in.  If he couldn't feel Brian's thigh touching his as they sat side-by-side, he would have sworn that he was dreaming at the moment. 

 

Brian peered over at him in amazement as he commented, "I imagine there aren't many students at Vanderbilt who are awarded a full scholarship to attend."

 

"I know! I'm still trying to believe it's all real.  I never in a million years thought this would happen to me!"

 

"Well, I'm not surprised," Brian maintained. **"** But I am a little surprised that they're just now awarding it. Don't they usually do that a lot earlier in the year?"

 

"It depends on which scholarship it is," Justin told him.  "I applied last year as a junior, but they didn't announce the winners for my program until this week."  His eyes were lit up; if he had had to keep this information one more second from Brian, he thought he probably would have self-combusted.  "Brian, do you know what this means?"

 

_Yeah_ , Brian couldn't help glumly thinking.  _There's nothing now to stand in your way._   He forced himself not to show how sad that fact made him, because this was about Justin and HIS happiness, not his.  "Yeah...it means there's nothing in your way now, Justin.  You can finally concentrate on pursuing your dream, rather than worrying about where all the funds are going to come from."  He paused before telling him softly, "You know, I would have made sure you got to go, no matter WHAT happened."  And he _would_ have, no matter how much his heart would be breaking as a result. That was how much he fucking loved this boy. 

 

Justin's eyes glistened over the thought of how Brian always took care of him.  "I would have never asked you to do that, Brian," he murmured. 

 

"I know you wouldn't have.  But I would have done it just the same." 

 

Justin reached out to place his hand against Brian's cheek.  "Brian...I love you so much." 

 

Brian swallowed hard, his own eyes beginning to prickle with the first sign of tears. But he wouldn't let Justin see how much this was affecting him; how much his whole fucking life was about to change soon.  So much had happened since he had come here to live with his aunt and uncle; but this would be the most life-altering event of all - and the most traumatic.  "And you know I feel the same," he finally replied with a half-smile.  "You are going to make such a difference in the world, Justin Taylor.  You will affect who knows how many kids' lives because of your art...and because of who you are."  One side of his mouth crooked upward as he added only half-facetiously, "And I can tell all your admirers when that happens that I knew you when."  His eyes closed briefly as Justin lazily stroked his thumb over his face, relishing his touch while he tried to quell the sadness in his heart.

 

"Brian...you won't have to tell them that.  I'm never going to forget you.  I never could."  He pressed his lips firmly together to try and prevent the tears that were threatening to fall, but it was no use; a few escaped anyway.  He moved to drop his hand from Brian's face to hurriedly wipe them away, but Brian caught his hand in his and held it against his chest. 

 

"You say that now," he told him.  "But you'll be in another state, starting out on a new adventure and in a new place.  You'll have so much to experience, and you'll be on your own for the first time in your life.  Not to mention that every gay boy in that school will want to get into your pants the second they see you...especially you riding a horse."  Justin scoffed at him as Brian explained, "Things change, Justin.  People change.  You can't promise that you won't do the same...or that you won't find someone else there."  _Even though it would break my fucking heart._   

 

Justin prickled at the thought.  "Don't try to see inside my head, Brian!  You're wrong.  I won't find someone else. I won't fall in love with anyone else."  He shook his head.  "Don't you see, you stubborn idiot?  My heart has already been stolen by you; I don't have one to _give_ to anyone else." 

 

"Justin, you're still so young.  Except for traveling because of your racing, you've never even been outside the state.  This will be a totally different experience for you."

 

"I don't care," his companion stubbornly insisted, his eyes flashing.  "Are you _trying_ to break us up?" he asked incredulously. 

 

Brian's grip on his hand tightened imperceptibly as he responded firmly, "No! I'm just being realistic.  In a few short months - and it will go by faster than either of us can ever imagine - you'll be packing up your things to head off to school. And I'll still be here.  It won't be that far away...but it might as well be another fucking country."  He looked away, dropping Justin's hand as he stared straight ahead at the shimmering water, unable to look Justin in the eyes for fear the other boy would see too much in his face.  He felt utterly exposed at the moment - and it made him uncomfortable. He had used the mask of bravado for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was like to just be himself. But with Justin, he found that he didn't need so much deception.   On the other hand, however, he didn't want him to know how much he was dreading the arrival of August, either.

 

Justin pursed his lips together in irritation.  _Damn, stubborn mule_.  He placed his fingers under Brian's chin and turned his head toward him. "Look at me.  _Look_ at me," he repeated louder until Brian's eyes peered tentatively into his.  Justin could clearly see the pain behind the familiar, hazel eyes.  "You're not getting rid of me that easily. I won't let you." 

 

"Do you think I want that?" Brian croaked out, his voice cracking.  He reached to cup his hand over Justin's to pull it down once more to rest against his chest, right over his heart.  "You hear that?" he whispered.  "You're not the _only_ one whose heart has been stolen.  And I won't ever take it back, Justin.  And I won't ever give you yours back, either."  He blinked, unused to the swell of emotion rising inside him.   He took a deep breath as he leaned over until their foreheads touched, releasing it with a sigh.  "What are we going to do?" 

 

Justin pulled back to gaze into his eyes, his own heart heavy.  "We're not going to waste one second of our time together," he told him.  "And when the time comes..."  He didn't even want to think about it, but he knew they had to.  "Well...we'll think of something."

 

Brian nodded. "Well, whatever happens between us...No, let me finish," he added, pressing his fingers against Justin's lips as he noticed him about to undoubtedly protest, "...when the time comes for us to say goodbye, promise me that you will go through with your plans...and not look back.  Promise me, Justin." 

 

"That won't be necessary," he insisted.  "It won't BE goodbye." 

 

Brian smiled sadly. He knew no matter how they put a spin on it, the fact remained that Justin would be in Tennessee at Vanderbilt, and he would be here...with his aunt and uncle.  "Okay, Racer Boy," he agreed.  "We will agree never to say goodbye."  _Even though he knew that's exactly what it would be._

Justin nodded with a smile of his own.  "Good," he told him, satisfied.  He still had no fucking clue how they would pull this off, but he was determined they would find a way.  They wouldn't be the first pair of lovers to have a long-distance relationship.  And while it would hurt like crazy to be away from Brian, he was also confident their love would stand the test of time and space.  There was no other option in his eyes. 

 

Brian leaned in to gently kiss him on the lips, his mouth lingering on Justin's before he pulled back.  "Well, I'm glad that's settled," he replied softly, even though he knew it was anything but.  "Now...if you don't mind, I'd like to experience my first fuck with a college man." 

 

Justin grinned.  "I think that can be arranged." 

 

* * *

_Later that Day...Taylor Farm_

"That is one fine animal," Emmett quipped as Brian pulled up nearby with True Blue. 

 

"Yes, he is.  I'm glad Brian's been working him. That horse never DID belong out in some pasture, languishing away." 

 

Emmett smirked.  "Who said I was talking about the horse?" 

 

Vic chuckled as the bare-chested boy slid off the sulky seat and pulled his helmet off.  The sweat gleaming on his lightly muscled body glistened under the bright, spring sun as he gave the horse an affectional stroking on his neck.  "Good Boy," he murmured as True Blue softly whinnied in response.  He unhitched the horse enough to loosen the animal to be freed from his confines.  "There you go," he encouraged him.  "Time to take it easy for a while."  He scratched behind the horse's ears for a few moments before he led the animal over to the fence separating the race track from the pasture area, making sure to close the gate behind him before he picked up his shirt draped over the fence and returned to Vic and his nephew, who had once more returned for a visit. 

 

"Good run," Vic told him as Brian nodded with a smile. 

 

"Thanks; weather's perfect for it today."  He noticed Emmett's open look of admiration as he grinned.  "Enjoyed the view, did you?" he asked him, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

 

"Yep," Emmett verified, not missing a beat, and not feeling one iota of embarrassment.  "Magnificent view," he agreed as Brian grinned at him.  He sighed as the fingers of his left hand took a leisurely trip down the side of Brian's arm.  "But alas, I can only window shop.  I don't think a certain sulky driver would let me take you out for any test drive." 

 

"You got THAT right," a voice stated from a few feet away.  The three men turned around to observe Justin walking up to them.  He silently removed Emmett's hand from Brian, and slid his arm around his lover's waist - a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Vic and his nephew, who exchanged an amused look over his not-so-subtle possessiveness.  They watched as Brian smirked at him smugly as Justin rolled his eyes in reaction.  "You're all sweaty," he told him, his eyes flicking down over his boyfriend's chest. 

 

"Yeah...I am," Brian agreed with a grin.  "What are you going to do about it?"  He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

 

"Come with me, and I'll show you," was the saucy reply as Brian chuckled in approval. 

 

"I'm all yours; lead the way." 

 

"Vic, would you and Emmett excuse us?" Justin grabbed Brian's hand and pulled him determinedly toward the Walker farm, his intention crystal clear. The only question to the two men left standing there was where he would carry out his ‘mission.'  They watched the two boys talking between themselves before they heard Brian let forth with a laugh, just before they finally disappeared from sight.

 

Emmett sighed.  "I so envy them, Vic."

 

Vic smiled at him.  "Why, Em?"  He thought he already knew the answer to his nephew's question, however; he was very familiar with how sentimental and romantic Em could be. 

 

"They are so in love." 

 

Vic nodded; yes, that was what he had figured Emmett would say. 

 

"And they're about to have their hearts broken in two."

 

Vic frowned, his brow creasing; that wasn't what he had expected.  "Why?" he asked, turning to face his nephew.

 

"Because Justin will be heading off to the big, bad world of being a college boy," Emmett explained.  "It will be the first time the two of them have been apart since Brian came to stay here with the Walkers."

 

Vic nodded in understanding.  "Yes.  It will hurt, I imagine." He paused to carefully consider his words.  "But if you're in love as much as I suspect these two boys are, they will find a way to be together."

 

"Maybe," was the skeptical answer.  "But just seeing each other occasionally on weekends has a habit of making relationships dim, even the strongest ones."  He sighed.  "I think it's just a fact of life, Uncle Vic." 

 

Vic eyed him in amazement.  "You?  Doubting young love?  I never thought I would see the day."

 

Emmett shrugged.  "I'm just being realistic."

 

"You wouldn't be trying to pick up where Justin left off, would you?"  Vic teased, a twinkle in his eye. But he knew better.  Emmett may be a softie at heart, and a sappy romanticist, but he wasn't a boyfriend stealer, either. 

 

Emmett bristled.  "Of course not!" 

 

Vic smiled.  "Calm down; I was only kidding."  He peered over at True Blue, who was placidly grazing nearby.  A flash of inspiration hit him as he turned to peer back at his companion.  "Maybe there's something we can do to help prevent our two star-crossed lovers from meeting a fate worse than death."

 

Emmett smiled at him in eager interest.  "Really?  What?" 

 

"Come help me get the True Blue and the other horses back in the stables, and I'll tell you."

 

Emmett grinned with a nod as the two men headed toward the pasture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this could be my last post before Christmas, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and a peaceful and happy New Year. And I'd like to thank all of you who support me by reading my stories, and especially those who take the time on occasion to leave me feedback. Both are greatly appreciated, and keep me going when things get stressful or hectic. I am grateful to all of you.


	37. Ridin' and Ropin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vic explains his plan to Will and Sarah, while Brian's time with Justin begins to wane as Autumn looms. Can anything be done to keep the lovers from having to say goodbye?

 

A few minutes later, Emmett was smiling broadly.  "Very ingenious, Uncle Vic," he praised the older man, who grinned.  "Now, all we have to do is get everyone involved to agree to it."

 

Vic nodded, a determined twinkle in his eye. "Leave that to me. I've been around here for a long time; that should amount to something.  I'll give Eddie a call later.  He's been itching for this opportunity for a long time now." 

 

Emmett nodded as Vic handed Headstrong's reins to him so he could guide him back to his stall.  "You certain your friend's going to be willing to handle him?  He sure is a strong one."

 

"If anyone can, he can," Vic assured him.  "And since True Blue's had more exercise lately, he's actually calmed down a bit. That will make a difference, too."

 

The two men walked together to the stalls as Emmett led the horse inside and made sure the gate was securely fastened, taking a moment to stroke the handsome animal's neck before turning to face his uncle.  "Good luck. You realize true love is counting on you," he teased him. 

 

Vic chuckled in amusement.  "You always were the sentimental one, even as a small boy," he recalled.  "I remember you used to drive your mother crazy with all sorts of trinkets you would bring home from out of the neighbors' trash...not to mention the stray animals, the ticket movie stubs, and all the coins you placed on the railroad track so the locomotive would run over them.  Even the rocks you found in the creek." 

 

Emmett seemed to take good-natured offense to that.  "They weren't 'rocks,' Uncle. They were pretty stones." 

 

Vic chuckled, gazing over at his nephew fondly as he realized how much he had enjoyed Emmett's company while he had been visiting.  "I stand corrected," he replied as Em nodded with a smile.  "I guess I'm just more the pragmatic type." 

 

He paused as a wistful expression appeared on his face while he traveled briefly back in time to recall when he had been in love himself years ago. It had been intense and enjoyable, but unlike the love he could clearly see between Justin and Brian, the flame had burned out fairly quickly, rather than becoming hotter.  He supposed that was why he was a bit more cynical now when it came to love; he had never experienced the depth of passion that these two seemed to have, the deep bond they obviously shared. He had no doubt that this was the real thing between them; something that was meant to last. And he wanted to make sure he had a part in helping to make that happen; he could accomplish that by removing some of the obstacles standing in their way.  He smiled at the thought.  _Young love_.  He supposed he, too, still believed in that as well.  "Thanks for being my co-conspirator, Em."   

 

Em reached over to give his uncle's shoulder a brief, affectionate squeeze.  "I'm the one who's grateful, Uncle.  I've been looking for a change for a while," he told him as he peered through the open door of the stable out at the fields full of crops and rolling terrain.  It felt familiar and comfortable to him after having grown up in a smaller, similar, Alabama town. But it was also different.  Challenging.  Something new. And he liked that idea.  "I think this arrangement is going to work out just fine."

 

Vic chuckled as he turned to go.  "Well, wish me luck.  I know all too well how stubborn Will Walker can be, but so can I.  I'll be back as soon as I can."  If all worked out the way he planned, he would have to go into town afterward to speak with his former jockey friend; he hoped he'll have a reason to.   

 

"You know I do, but I don't think you'll need it," Em responded sincerely as he reached for a bucket of apples, deciding it wouldn't hurt to get True Blue on his good side by presenting the majestic horse with one of his favorite treats.  With a small smile, he turned and headed in the horse's direction, hearing the rumble of Vic's beat-up pickup truck as he started it and headed down the dusty road toward the Walker farm.

 

* * *

_Same Time...Side Yard of Walker Farm near the Storm Cellar_

"Give me that, you asshole!"  Brian warned Justin, pointing his finger at his lover. "Don't even think about it!" 

 

"You said you needed to cool off," Justin reminded him, the other boy wearing a smug grin as he aimed the stream of water square in Brian's face.  The mischief-maker squealed a few seconds later, however, as Brian suddenly rushed him in a move resembling a football tackle from his high school days; both of them fought for control of the hose as Brian grabbed onto his wrist in an attempt to discharge him from his 'weapon,' a green garden hose that Justin had confiscated when Brian had been caught unaware of his intentions a few minutes earlier.  He had turned around for just a brief moment to greet Solomon, who had come bounding up, eager for attention when he had spied the two of them returning, only to turn around and promptly be sprayed full force with the cold water. 

 

Having told Justin that he wasn't interested in 'cooling off' just yet, Brian was still finding it difficult to wrestle the hose away from his younger companion, finding his grip on it incredibly strong for someone so slim.  In the meantime, Solomon's constant yips and barks mingled with their laughter as they fought for supremacy. 

 

"No!"  Justin persisted with a laugh.

 

Brian sputtered as the hose snaked wildly around, hitting him full in the face and chest as both boys quickly became drenched.  "Come on, hand it over!"  He said with a laugh, belying his stern demand.  He shook his head to and fro to dislodge some of the water, drops pelting Justin before they slipped and fell to the ground onto the wet grass, Brian finally managing to pin Justin beneath him as he lay on his back, peering up at him, his chest heaving from their horseplay. 

 

Solomon continued to bay at them excitedly as he circled around them, his long tail wagging furiously over their antics, but he was promptly ignored as the two boys stared into each other's eyes, their playtime slowly morphing into some more intense as Justin dropped his hand to the ground beside him, still gripping the hose as its nozzle continued to spray water.  Brian's hand reached to grip the smaller hand, their fingers intertwining as he murmured, "Now I have you right where I want you." 

 

Justin's pupiled dilated into a darkening hue as he dared him huskily, "So what you are going to do about it, Kinney?" 

 

Brian's eyes stared into his, making Justin blush, before the older boy leaned down to kiss him. It would be several seconds before the sound of the hose still running finally registered in their minds as Brian reluctantly broke off their kiss to twist the nozzle and turn it off.  By now Justin was lying in a pool of water, even wetter than Brian, his clothes molded to him like a second skin with his nipples clearly outlined through the thin, cotton shirt he was wearing.  _God, he is so beautiful,_ Brian couldn't help thinking as he stared at him, observing the sparkle in Justin's eyes and the radiant smile on his face.  "Now you're even wetter than I am, Farm Boy." 

 

Justin grinned, unconcerned, as he let go of the hose and reached up to grip the back of Brian's neck to press his body even closer against his, yearning to kiss him again; his desire for him was clearly broadcast from the outline of his cock against Brian's torso, making Brian instantly hard himself.  "Well, I guess we'll both have to find a way to dry our clothes off, then," he replied, adding helpfully, "My mother always told me the fastest way to do that is to take them all off and hang them up somewhere."

 

Brian chuckled.  "Yeah...I seem to recall _another_ time when someone's clothes were removed, but for a different reason."  He remembered all too well that time at the swimming hole when he had been forced to wear Justin's clothes home.  How could he have known what would eventually happen, and how deeply he would fall in love with this little thief?  "Hmm...I wonder what we can find to do while we're waiting for our clothes to dry, then?"     

 

Justin grinned at him as Brian pulled him to sit up on the wet ground beside him.  "Well...We couldn't possibly go into the house this wet," Justin told him.  "What do you suggest, then?"  He asked coyly, a gleam in his eye.

 

Brian seemed to give that some thought.  "Hmm...True.  Okay.  So...you stay here, and I'll go get my aunt's clothespins."  His aunt was a staunch believer in hanging clothes up on her clothesline strung between their two large oak trees in the backyard whenever the weather permitted it; she loved the smell of clean clothes and linens that had been dried in the wind.  She swore they always smelled much better than using a dryer, although Brian couldn't begin to fathom why. But he had to admit that when he went to bed with freshly laundered and dried-in-the-wind sheets and laid his head on the pillowcase, they _did_ seem to smell better...cleaner. 

 

"No!" Justin protested as Brian attempted to stand, his mouth hanging open in disappointment.  "That's not what I meant!" he stammered.  "I mean...yeah, they need to dry, but... _Brian_!"  The other boy's name came out as sort of a whine; this did not seem to be going the way he had intended...or hoped. 

 

Brian laughed at the dismayed expression on his lover's face; if he didn't know better, he would categorize it as a pout.  "Don't worry, Speed Racer," he reassured him as he reached for Justin's hands to pull him up so they were face-to-face.  He whispered in his ear, "I have much better plans for you while they're drying.  The barn loft will do just fine." 

 

"Just fine for what?"  Justin asked playfully as he shivered in reaction to the warm breath caressing the side of his face, knowing, hoping he already knew the answer.

 

Brian pulled back just enough to gaze into the sky blue eyes.  "It'll do just fine...for draping our clothes over the railing to dry...," he leaned in even closer before adding, "...and fucking you shitless.  I think you'll look sexy on top of all that straw up there." 

 

Justin rolled his eyes as he muttered, "Great.  Now I'll have straw up my ass, instead of corn kernels." 

 

Brian laughed.  "One of the hazards of farm life," he told him as Justin harrumphed.  "But don't worry," he reassured him, his voice low and velvety.  "You'll have something _else_ up your ass soon." 

 

Justin blushed deeply then as Brian reached to push some damp hair back from his face.  He kissed him tenderly, cupping his face in his hands and staring at Justin so intensely that for a moment he wondered if there was something wrong.  "Brian?" 

 

The older boy didn't want to tell him that he couldn't help thinking about the future, and how much too soon he wouldn't get to see Justin every day. Brian didn't know what he would do then; he didn't _want_ to even think about that dreaded day, so he purposely pushed that thought aside as he smiled softly back at him in reassurance, concentrating on more pleasant things.  Taking Justin's hand, he pulled him toward the barn.  "Come on.  If we wait any longer, our clothes will start drying out...and then I won't have an excuse to take them off you."

 

Justin giggled.  "As if that would stop you."  Brian smirked at him before a possible obstacle occurred to him, causing his brow to crease.  "What about your uncle?  Brian..."  He was much more comfortable with his sexuality since he had become involved with Brian, but that still didn't mean he could imagine risking Will Walker either seeing - or hearing - them in the throes of passionate sex. And sex with Brian was _always_ passionate...and quite vocal.  

 

"Didn't you hear my aunt ringing the lunch bell?  He's in the house, eating."  He waggled his eyebrows at Justin suggestively.  "And with the way my aunt feeds him, he won't be back out for a while.  Besides, I noticed Vic's truck outside.  That will help, too.  And they say that WOMEN are gossipers!"

 

Justin grinned in satisfaction and relief, briefly wondering why Vic hadn't just walked over, but more interested in 'other' matters at the moment.  "Lead the way, then."

 

* * *

 

_Inside the Walker Farmhouse..._

"Vic, some more coffee?" Sarah asked, holding the old-fashioned percolator toward him in question. 

 

Vic smiled with a nod.  "I never turn down an invitation for a refill," he confirmed as she walked over and poured some more into his cup at the kitchen table that overlooked the shaded backyard. 

 

"Well, if you're going to have some more coffee, then you must have some of my homemade apple pie to go with it, too," she declared as she set the percolator down onto a wooden board and cut off a slice of the still-warm pie sitting on top of the oven.

 

"Sarah..." Vic tried to protest weakly, but he knew it was pointless; he was stuffed after eating lunch with her and Will, but around here every visit warranted an invitation to eat. It was just plain, common, country-folk courtesy:  anytime someone came to visit, you offered them something to eat and/or drink; it was the expected thing to do.  He sighed as she lifted her eyebrows expectantly.  "Yes, ma'am," he finally murmured in agreement.  "I would love some."  She grinned at him as she placed a piece of pie down in front of him, along with a fork. 

 

From his seat nearby, Will cleared his throat impatiently as he gulped down the rest of his own coffee.  "Vic, you wanted to speak to us about something?" 

 

"William, you want the man to choke on his food?" Sarah gently reprimanded him as Will grunted.  "Give him some time."  Her husband softly scoffed at her, but nonetheless he remained obediently silent afterward, at least for a couple of minutes; long enough for Vic to take a few sips of his coffee and two bites of his pie. 

 

Finally, Vic wiped his mouth with a gingham red-and-white napkin before placing it on the table.  He nodded.  "It's delicious as always, Sarah, but I'm afraid I can't eat another bite," he told his hostess as she nodded back at him.  He needed to get to the point of his visit, anyway.  "Well," he confirmed to Will as he peered over at him.  "This is not just a social call.  It is in a way...but I _do_ have something specific that I'd like to discuss with both of you." 

 

Will nodded, his forehead wrinkling in curiosity. He and Vic had always shared one quality; they both didn't care for beating around the bush, preferring to just cut to the chase.  "I reckoned. So tell us what it is."  

 

Sarah clucked in reproach as she stood nearby.  "William, whatever Vic has to say can wait a few minutes until he's done with the rest of his coffee.  Why don't you go into the living room and have a cigar?" 

 

Will eyed her in amusement; only this woman could get away with chiding him like that, and she knew it.  Normally, his wife didn't care for the smoke that billowed from his occasional cigar, in addition to how unhealthy it was. But when she was trying to mollify him, she occasionally allowed it.  "Yes, Missy," he murmured with a half-smile as he scooted back from his chair and dutifully took his pie plate and empty cup over to the sink to rinse them off.  As he passed his wife a few moments later, the two of them shared a tender look as he squeezed her shoulder with one of his work-worn, leathery hands before heading down the short hallway to their living room. 

 

* * *

 

A few minutes later, Vic followed Will into the room, taking a seat in one of the overstuffed chairs near the fireplace as Will sat in his grandmother's antique, wooden rocking chair, his 'smoking' chair.  It was where he always sat as he enjoyed his cigar or an occasional puff from his pipe; the back-and-forth motion of the chair always had a relaxing effect on him, even though he knew the smoking habit needed to abolished. Perhaps one day he would succeed. 

 

Sarah arrived shortly afterward, having washed the dishes before placing them in the drying rack to dry.  Wiping her hands on her half-apron, she was about to sit on the couch when the sounds of laughter, furious barking, and animated conversation filtered in through the open side window. 

 

"What in the world?" Sarah murmured, as she walked over to peer through the window; she had opened it up earlier in the day to allow some of the temperate breeze to flow into the house.  She couldn't help smiling as she realized it was her nephew and Justin fighting over a water hose several feet away, both boys holding onto the tubing in a fight for superiority - and both managing to thoroughly get soaked in the process.  Between them and Solomon, however, they seemed to be having a grand old time as she observed the broad smiles on both their faces, and Dale's dog circling them as he bayed and yipped, his tail wagging in delight.  She watched as the two boys fell to the ground then with Justin on his back and Brian on top of him.  She felt a little like a voyeur as she watched Brian lean down then to kiss the younger boy, Justin's arms sliding up to wrap themselves around Brian's back.  She blushed as she continued to watch them kiss passionately before her nephew finally pulled back to allow some space between them.  A minute later, she watched him sit up and then pull Justin to his feet as they continued to talk more quietly, the boys' clothes now thoroughly soaked.  She noticed Brian taking Justin by the hand before he led him toward the barn.  She could only imagine what they had in mind, and it made her blush even more.  Surely they wouldn't...?  But somehow she knew that's exactly what they were about to do. 

 

"Sarah? What's going on?" she heard Will inquire behind her.  Her husband's voice brought her mind back to the present as she turned around to gaze over at him. 

 

"Nothing," she told him with a soft smile, deciding her husband wouldn't take too kindly to what she had just surmised.  "Just Brian and Justin having some fun.  They're gone now, though."  As always, she marveled at the looks her nephew cast on the younger boy.  It was much the same look she had displayed when she had fallen for William, and she knew somehow that this was the real thing between them, despite their relatively tender ages.  She also knew that could be setting her nephew up for heartbreak in the not-so-distant future.  Because as much as Brian arrived with his cocky attitude and seemingly indifferent air, she now knew that it had all been just an emotional façade to hide who he really was.  Brian felt things deeply.  It might take him a while to learn to trust someone.  But once he did, he defended them and protected them just as fiercely as he hid that capability.

 

"Sarah?  Missy...Vic's trying to talk to us," she heard her husband remind her as she blinked, forcing her mind back to the matter at hand. She blushed. "Sorry," she murmured in apology.

 

Will cast an amused look upon her as he commented, "Will you come and sit down?"

 

She nodded, walking over to finally sit on the edge of the couch, closest to the chair where Will sat.  Almost without thinking, her hand reached over to seek his, finding his warm, work-roughened hand as they linked fingers and peered over at their guest.

 

Will got right to the point.  "Now...what was it you wanted to talk to us about, Vic?"   

 

Vic took a deep breath; a lot was riding on what he was about to propose. He only hoped that when he finished, the couple would agree to it.  He had little doubt that Sarah would; Will, he was not so certain about.  But he had to try.  "Well, it's about True Blue..." he began.

 

That caused Will's heart to clench as he and Sarah peered over at each other apprehensively.  "Dale's horse?  Is he okay? Did something happen to him?"  Except for Solomon, that majestic, powerful stallion was the last living remnant of his and Sarah's son.  And more than anything, he represented all that Dale had embodied:  his love for racing, his pride, his strength.  His passion for the thrill of speed. So many things they oddly had shared. But most of all, it comforted him somehow to know that something his son had cherished so deeply was still with them. 

 

Vic rushed to reassure him; he hadn't realized how his comment might have been construed, and he knew even after all this time - even after the Walkers had seemed to finally come to grips with their son's death - the two of them still felt a deep bond with their son's horse.  "No, no," he told them.  "He's fine," he told the two of them, hearing them both breathe out twin sighs of relief.  "In, fact, he's doing better than ever...thanks to Brian's practicing with him on the track.  In a way, that's what I want to talk to you about."  Deciding this was going to be the pivotal moment that would change a lot of lives, he took a deep breath before beginning to reveal his plan to them. 

 

* * *

_Barn Loft - Same Time..._

Brian smiled in amusement as Justin prattled on and on about practically everything - his scholarship, the new lamb born this morning, how great it was that finally the weather was getting warmer, the last race he had participated in - and won, of course.  And he was _still_ chattering about something else now.  "Brian...Do you think...?"  He stopped as a set of long fingers firmly pressed themselves against his lips.  "Hmm?" he managed to mumble, despite his mouth being closed, his brows creased in curiosity.

 

"Do you know you are a regular chatterbox after sex?"  Brian chuckled as he heard a distinct huff, and felt a breath of indignation escape through his lover's lips.  "I've never had sex with someone who is so gabby afterward.  Normally, they're so stunned by my brilliance and stamina that they're rendered speechless."  He laughed as his hand was promptly snatched away so his motor mouth could start up again.  He would have expected nothing less, and he totally delighted in it. 

 

"Oh, please.  Can you be any less humble?"  Justin idly traced his finger over Brian's chest as they lay on top of the hay, his body half-draped on top of the other boy as Brian held him close with his arm wrapped around him, their legs tangled together.  Their clothes were now hung over the wooden railing nearby, and a slight breeze could be felt through a crack in the barn's loft door nearby, causing the clothes to ripple slightly. He peered up into Brian's face as they instinctively leaned toward each other to kiss. 

 

"Humility has never been a problem for me," Brian informed him as they finally broke apart. 

 

Justin laughed.  "No, it hasn't," he agreed.  "Nor has arrogance." 

 

"I prefer to call it self-confidence."  He grinned down at Justin who smiled back at him, causing his heart to skitter in reaction. 

 

"Well...whatever it's called...it's very sexy on you," Justin whispered as he continued to stroke Brian's chest with the pads of his fingers, taking a moment to circle the other boy's left nipple until he earned a groan and a grasp of his wrist.   

 

"Justin...Give me a few minutes here, okay?" Brian gasped, panting.  "You are insatiable."  He couldn't believe he was actually saying that, but it was the truth. He had finally found someone who could keep up with him in the sex department...and then some. 

 

His younger lover grinned.  "Only for your Aunt Sarah's pie...and _you_." 

 

Brian gripped the smaller hand in his as he replied, "Well...the least you could do is put me first on that list." 

 

Justin giggled, his face turning more serious as he whispered, "Always."  He raised Brian's hand to his lips and kissed the palm before placing their linked hands down upon his lover's chest.  "I could stay up here forever," he murmured in contentment as he snuggled deeper into Brian's body.  "As long as I'm with you." 

 

Brian grinned.  "Even with hay up your ass...and in your hair?  And my uncle due back soon?" He plucked a couple strands of the yellow material from the crown of Justin's head, luxuriating in the feel of its softness as he ran his fingers briefly through the strands.  "I guess this is what they mean by a roll in the hay, huh?" 

 

Justin laughed.  "Yeah....exactly." 

 

Brian smiled as he held Justin closer, suddenly becoming quiet as he continued to caress his lover's body with his fingers.  He closed his eyes, wanting to memorize everything about Justin:  his unique smell, how soft and warm he felt in his arms, how perfectly they molded together, the sounds he always makes when they make love, the sound of his voice when he is happy, and how he always makes him feel so special whenever he looks into his eyes with so much admiration and love. It makes him feel like more of a man, like someone who is valuable and worthy of love. That concept had been so foreign to him until he had come here.  His aunt and uncle make him feel the same way, but with Justin it is different. It always _would_ be different, no matter who else he meets during his lifetime, and where life takes him, whether it was with Justin or not.  He didn't want to think about that right now, though.  All he wanted to do was just savor the feeling of this moment, of holding Justin, loving Justin. 

 

"Brian?"  He curled his hand more firmly around Justin's shoulder to press him closer as he slowly opened his eyes, noticing Justin's blue ones staring back at him with concern. 

 

"Hmm?" he murmured, mesmerized by the shade of his eyes; it always captivated him how the blue of Justin's eyes could change depending upon his mood. 

 

"What are you thinking?" he asked him softly. 

 

Brian stared into his eyes before they traveled downward, taking in every plane, every curve, every angle of the slim body lying underneath his.  He wanted to tell Justin how deeply he loved him; how he knew he would never find another person to ever take his place. How he would never stop loving him, no matter how long he lived.  That he didn't know how he was going to deal with being separated from him.  His gaze traveled back up until he was looking into Justin's eyes again, knowing he was giving everything away, merely by the expression he must have on his face.  He just couldn't say everything that was in his heart at the moment, but it was filled to the brim; overflowing, in fact, with the depth of emotion he felt for this beautiful boy being held in his arms.  He watched as Justin blushed in reaction, deciding he best not reveal how deeply he was affected at the moment, and choosing, instead, to lighten the mood a little.   "I'm thinking...that if we don't get up and get dressed - and get downstairs before my uncle finishes his lunch - we're going to have a lot of explaining to do." 

 

But Justin shook his head, unconvinced.  "No, you're not," he told him as Brian averted his eyes awkwardly, knowing Justin didn't believe that for a second.  "Brian..."

 

"Justin.  Please...let's not discuss it right now, okay?  I think our clothes are probably dry by now." 

 

The younger boy looked into his eyes for a few seconds before sighing in resignation.  "Okay," he murmured in agreement.  With great reluctance he disentangled himself from Brian's embrace and rose to stand; he knew exactly what Brian was trying to avoid - and what he had been thinking about.  But he also knew Brian didn't want to talk about it.  Besides, what could be said that hadn't already been said?  As much as he would desperately miss Brian to the point of physically aching for him - of that much he was certain - he also knew the opportunity to pursue his long-held dream of using his equestrian and art skills to help children was too good to pass up. Before Brian had arrived, there would have been no reluctance whatsoever regarding his decision.  But now...It was amazing how falling deeply in love with someone could shower you with such bittersweet feelings.  And that's exactly what their eventual parting would be:  bittersweet. But as he slipped on his briefs and jeans - and Brian stood up to do the same - he silently vowed that it would be only temporary.  He knew that no one else would ever make him feel the way that he did about this boy, and if Brian thought he was going to get away from him THAT easily, he was sadly mistaken. 

 

Finally fully dressed once more, he turned to gaze over at his lover.  Brian held out his hand for Justin to grasp it, giving it a squeeze.  "Ready to go?" he asked Justin, who nodded.  But to Justin's surprise, he pulled on his hand in the opposite direction from the wooden ladder heading back down to the lower level.  He frowned back at him in confusion.

 

"I prefer the quicker exit," he told him, as he tugged him over to the door located at the end of the loft.  Justin laughed as Brian let go of his hand to unlatch the door and swing it open, revealing a large mountain of hay below, intended for feeding the horses. 

 

"Brian..." He didn't have a chance to say anything else then as Brian pulled on his hand and - with a shout of 'Geronimo!' - they were both flying through the air out the door, landing softly side-by-side on the mound of hay, both boys laughing at their antics like they were three-year-olds. 

 

* * *

 

Standing by the window again - having chosen to allow the two men to converse between themselves for a while and feeling restless - Sarah couldn't help smiling as she observed her nephew and Justin jumping down from the loft and promptly getting half-buried in the hay, both boys laughing as they struggled to extricate themselves after their leap.  She remembered doing the same thing when she had been younger, too.  She was convinced now as to why they had been up in the loft, but she chose to remain silent about it; at the moment the three of them had something more serious to consider.  She turned around to better concentrate on what the two men were discussing.

 

"You know what that horse means to us," Will told Vic, his lips pressed firmly together.  Even after all this time, it was hard to discuss True Blue without thinking of his and Sarah's son, and that always made his heart lurch.  "Except for that dog, he's the only tangible thing left that we have now."

 

"Of course," Vic agreed.  "But we all know that Dale's horse was no more meant to be kept grazing in a pasture than Justin was meant to be a farmer...or Brian, for that matter."

 

"I won't take charity, Vic," Will told him curtly.  "It's not my way, and I won't stand for it.  Sarah and I have faced some good times...and some bad ones.  Very bad ones.  We've never been wealthy people, and we never will be. But I don't take handouts.  We will make do. The soil has always provided for us, and it always will." 

 

"William..."  Sarah turned around to peer over at her proud, stubborn husband.  "You know this would not be charity.  This would be a good solution for all of us. And...if you were completely honest, yes, we have gotten by, but there have been lean years.  Times when if Dale hadn't been racing, and we hadn't had our neighbors' help..."  Her voice trailed off as she left the rest unfinished.  The truth was, yes, they had survived some pretty tough times financially, much like the Taylors, must as she looked around their worn but well-loved home, she knew there were improvements that had to be made at some point, or the costs to repair them become astronomical. And they did not have a retirement pension like a lot of other people did; everything they owned, and any assets they had, were all tied up in this farm. She knew it would be that way when she and William married, but she had fallen so deeply in love with him at that point she knew she could survive whatever hardships they might face as a farmer's wife. Of course, at the time she had no way of knowing the heartbreak they would also endure with their son's death. But both of them were resilient and resolute. They would continue to persevere.  That didn't mean that they couldn't be prudent as well as reasonable, however. And despite her husband's words, she knew that he realized that as well.  

 

"I know you won't accept help from Brian. But this would be different."  She suspected Brian would be the first one to offer them financial help if they needed it. Perhaps he was already considering that once the inheritance money was fully available. But neither she nor William would want him to do that. This, however, was a perfect solution. 

 

Her husband sighed, squeezing the back of his neck in a gesture that Sarah recognized as one of indecision as he considered Vic's proposal.  It did make sense for all concerned. And even he couldn't deny the indelibly deep bond between his nephew and the Taylor boy next door.  "How do you even know that this is what Brian will want, even if I DO agree to it?" 

 

"Will...you know Brian isn't meant to be a career horse racer, any more than Justin is.  He enjoys the thrill involved with it," she conceded.  "But he will need something longer lasting in his life to feel really fulfilled.  And there will be other ways to satisfy his need for thrill seeking. Something more challenging."  She smiled fondly as she thought of their nephew - the boy...no, man - who had been thrust upon them unexpectedly.  The young man who had come to them sullen and rebellious, and had become so much more.  Yes, he was still proud and stubborn - much like True Blue - but he was also a young man who had a future in front of him.  A bright future; one that she and her husband could help insure.  He would need more than financial means to make that happen, because she knew he had grown to love them as deeply as they loved him.  Because of that, she also knew he wouldn't leave here unless he thought they would be taken care of, even at the risk of it leaving him heartbroken.  She couldn't be responsible for that. They would need to give him a 'shove from the nest,' she suspected.

 

This was no place for Brian; at least not permanently.  She figured that even as a senior citizen in his golden years - which was decades in the future - her thrill-seeking, adventuresome nephew would never be the kind to be sitting on a farmhouse front porch in a rocking chair, watching cows grazing in the distance as golden wheat blew in the breeze.  Not that he didn't seem to enjoy the tranquility and peace that one could find here, and not that such a setting did not have its beauty and allure.  But a soul such as his would never be ultimately happy here; not on a fulltime basis.

 

"I assume you don't mean stealing cars and drag racing."  

 

Sarah gazed over at him. "William, I know you are being facetious now. He wouldn't do that again.  He has too much at stake.  And someone he cares about now in addition to us.  He wouldn't jeopardize that, and you know it."  She considered her next words carefully, not 100% sure how her husband would take them, but knowing that he always took whatever she said seriously, and that he respected her opinion,  "This is a wonderful idea of Vic's.  Please. For Brian and for Justin's sake - and for the sake of the horse that our son cared so much about - tell him yes. You know Brian will never leave here unless he knows that we are taken care of." 

 

Will harrumphed.  "You always were such a soft-hearted one, Missy," he told her grumpily.

 

"Isn't that part of why you married me?" she pointed out.  "As I recall, you could be the same way at times.  I seem to remember some moonlight buggy rides during our courting." 

 

Her husband appeared flustered as he mumbled, "Not the same."  She grinned at him knowingly as he sighed, peering over at Vic, who had chosen to remain silent.  He knew by virtue of having known Will Walker for several years that patience was the best approach to take if he were to succeed with his plan.  Of course, this would only be Step One. But it was the most important part, because he knew that it was key to everything else that followed. 

 

"You know I do not take handouts, Vic," he repeated, wanting to make that abundantly clear.

 

His long-time acquaintance nodded, his lips pressed together; _yes, definitely stubborn_.  "I know how proud you are - and how much you value your independence," he conceded. "But this is NOT a handout.  It's a fair deal.  Emmett thinks, so, too, by the way.  If he wasn't okay with this, I would never have come over here to propose it." 

 

"Will...Brian is just not a farmer," Sarah reminded her husband quietly as he considered Vic's words.  She turned back to the window, watching as Brian reached over to pluck a strand of hay from Justin's hair as the younger boy smiled at him before they walked out of her sight toward the Taylor's farm.  She turned around to add, "He never has been, and he never will be.  He's destined for much greater things." 

 

Will grunted.  "A farmer is a very honorable profession, Sarah." 

 

She turned back around, leaning on the window sill as she looked at him fondly.  "Yes, it is," she agreed, finally walking over to sit down near him on the couch. "But it's not for him, and you know that." 

 

Her husband grunted. "True love," he scoffed, standing and reaching his hand out toward the other man.  "It's gotten many a man into big trouble," he muttered before glancing over at his wife to concede gruffly, "But it can be a good thing, too...with the right person."  Sarah blushed at him as he nodded. "Okay. We have a deal." 

 

Vic stood up, reaching out to firmly clasp the weathered hand in his own; out here, a man's word was bound by this simple gesture, even now, and was as binding as a written document; perhaps even more so.  He nodded back at him, pleased.  "I'll set things in motion, then."  He turned to Sarah.  "Thank your hospitality," he told her as she smiled at him and nodded.  "Now I'd best be going.  I've got a lot of things to do." 

 

As the couple watched Vic turn and head down the hallway toward the back door to leave, Will asked, "Don't you think we should have consulted Brian about this first? After all, it's going to have a big impact on his future.  Maybe he won't even want to consider it."

 

Sarah smiled softly.  "I don't think that's going to be a problem," she assured him.  _No, not a problem at all._

 

* * *

_Later that Evening - Taylor Farm_

"Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Taylor," Brian told Justin's mother politely as she smiled at him from across the table.  He had gradually become much more comfortable around both of Justin's parents, but having Jared at the dinner table had been somewhat awkward.  To his relief, however, he had been civil enough, although he seemed to make a concerted effort to brag about his new job, and how his boss had been giving him additional responsibilities.  He supposed that was a good thing - at least it kept Justin's older brother out of trouble - but to him the guy still spent an inordinate amount of time boasting about his exploits.  However, the two brothers seemed to be back on track with each other, and in the long run he supposed that was the most important thing. 

 

Jennifer smiled.  "You're welcome here anytime, Brian," she assured him.  "More dessert?"

 

He shook his head, feeling Justin's hand squeeze his leg just above the knee. He couldn't help gazing over at him briefly, feeling his face warm merely by the look he received in return, before peering back over at his hostess.  "No, ma'am," he told her. "I'm stuffed." 

 

Jennifer nodded.  "Justin?  Seconds?"  It was almost a given that her younger son would answer in the affirmative; he rarely turned down another helping of any homemade dessert she made, and he always asked for more of her honey lemon almond cake.  The sweet treat - made from a recipe handed down from her grandmother - was one of his favorites.  But to her slight surprise, he shook his head. 

 

"Not right now," he told her with a half-smile.  "Maybe later?"

 

She nodded before grimacing.  "Well, I should have plenty of honey to use up for the time being.  Business has been so slow lately."  She peered over at Craig.  "I'm glad for your accounting job, Craig," she assured him, knowing his lack of employment before had still been bothering him. **"** With Justin about to head off for college in the fall, it's been a real blessing." 

 

Craig nodded back at her, a little embarrassed. His job was going well, and he was grateful for the opportunity. But her comment also reminded him of how much they had depended upon their youngest son's race winnings to keep the family farm afloat.  He realized she didn't mean anything negative in her comment; she was merely stating a fact.  So he answered her in kind as all eyes fell upon him.  "Me, too," he agreed.  "And I'm sure business will pick soon, Jen; you know everyone's always asking for your honey each year to make their apple pie recipes at the county fair." 

 

She nodded.  "Yes. But with you off to work during the day - and Jared, too - it would be nice to stay busier right now."  She didn't mention that Justin, of course, was still there with them. But she also knew that not only would he be gone soon, but he was spending a lot of time on chores, practicing for his races...and with the boy sitting next to him.  How the two of them were going to be separated in the fall - and how they would react apart - she couldn't fathom.  "If I only knew more about redesigning my web page."

 

"You know I'm not good at those sort of things," Craig grumbled.  He may be a whiz at numbers - and the accounting software his employer used - but when it came to more social media sites, he was hopelessly lost, depending upon others to complete that sort of thing.  He looked over at his older son to ask, "Jared, you ready to work on the car some more?"

 

Jared grinned as both men scooted back from their chairs.  "Are you kidding?" He had been wanting to get his hands dirty again ever since he had arrived earlier in the day, but his father had insisted on waiting until after supper to work on their latest fix-me-up.  "I'm ready when you are."  He started to turn around to head toward the back door when his father fixed a pointed, meaningful stare on him. "Excuse us," Jared mumbled, rolling his eyes at the antiquated gesture.  Jennifer nodded as the two men headed toward the back door and then outside, leaving her with her youngest son and Brian.

 

Brian cleared his throat. "Uh...Mrs. Taylor?"

 

Jennifer turned her gaze back upon their guest. "Yes, Brian? Change your mind about dessert?  I can fix some up for you to take home. Some for your aunt and uncle, too; they love my cake." 

 

"That would be nice," Brian told her politely. "But I was going to say if you want me to, I can take a look at your web page and maybe make some changes for you.  I'm pretty good with computers." 

 

"Would you?  Oh, Brian, that would be wonderful! Thank you!" Jennifer gushed; a few minutes later, the trio headed down the hallway and then made their way to a small room located opposite the living room.  At one time, it had been a summer kitchen when Jennifer's father had lived there, but now with its built-in, white, wooden shelves, and a long oak table, it served as both her makeshift canning area as well as her business office.  Her 'office,' however, presently consisted of a desktop computer, a printer, and an in-and-out box at the end of the table.  Not very sophisticated by any means, but it had served her sufficiently up until now.  

 

* * *

 

An hour later, Justin watched in fascination as his lover and his mother leaned their heads together, sitting side-by-side in front of her computer, Brian occasionally clicking the mouse to arrange web pages the way Jennifer preferred.  Justin smiled in amusement over the frequent 'oohs' and murmurs of delight his mother emitted, her face glued to the screen.  "Oh, Brian I love this!" she raved.  "I can't believe this is my web page!  It looks so professional!  It's perfect!"  

 

Brian had completely revised Jennifer's website, renaming her product (with her approval) _Windswept Organic Honey._ The front page included a new slogan that emphasized the pure, untreated, raw honey that she harvested from her bees:

 

_Bee Natural, Bee Organic...Bee Healthy._

The colors had been redone into warm, brown, yellow, and maroon tones, and a shopping cart had been added on another page, along with detailed information about her products.  The overall effect was brighter, cleaner, and a great deal more reflective of Jennifer's goal to provide a quality product to buyers who may not have the opportunity to purchase them locally. 

 

"Anything you want to change?" Brian asked, as the two studied his handiwork. 

 

Jennifer shook her head.  "I wouldn't change a thing, Brian.  It's amazing.  _You're_ amazing!"  She smiled in delight as she stared at the web page that bore no resemblance to the rudimentary one she had composed several months ago and had been using.  "Thank you!" 

 

Brian nodded with a smile of his own, pleased over how happy such a relatively simple process seemed to mean so much to her.  "I'm glad I could help." 

 

The sounds of clanging noises, and an occasional air drill from out in the barn could be heard as Jennifer took one last look at her transformed webpage before shutting it down.

 

"It looks great," Justin spoke up from his place on the window seat a few feet away.  "You were vastly understating your technical - and creative - ability, Brian.  You could get paid to do that."

 

"Yes, you could," Jennifer agreed as the two stood up, both leaning backward to stretch out their stiff backs.  "In fact, I wish I could properly pay you for what you just did.  There would've been no way I could have done that. I'm much obliged."

 

"I don't want any money," Brian was quick to reassure her, almost embarrassed.  That hadn't been the reason at all.  It was Justin's mother.  That was reason enough.  "But if you insist on paying me, I'll take some of your honey cake back to my aunt and uncle."

 

Jennifer nodded with a smile.  "You got it.  But I'd better go cut some pieces before Justin gets a hold of it, or there might not be enough left."

 

"Hey!" her youngest son protested as she laughed.  "There was half a cake left!"

 

"I rest my case," Jennifer teased her son.  "Let me go get that wrapped up for you.  And thanks again, Brian.  That was very kind of you."

 

"My pleasure, Mrs. Taylor," Brian told her.  And it HAD been. This past hour working on improving her website - and coming up with the proper slogan that correctly depicted what she wanted to express - had been very enjoyable to him.  He knew he was good at it.  And perhaps for the first time, he began to revisit a previous conversation he had had with his aunt and uncle about what he wanted to do with his life. They were correct; while he had come to enjoy and even respect their bucolic lifestyle, it would never be his choice; not on a permanent basis.  But what, then, was the answer? 

 

"Brian?" Justin called over to him softly, interrupting his rumination.  He turned to gaze at the younger boy, once more thinking how beautiful Justin was.  "Everything okay?" 

 

Brian smiled at him in reassurance.  "Yeah, everything's fine," he replied, walking over to lean down and kiss the soft lips briefly before pulling back.  "Come on," he urged him softly.  "Let's go out on the front porch."

 

"But the cake..."

 

Brian grinned.  "The cake can wait.  I'd like a different sort of treat at the moment." 

 

Justin blushed as Brian pulled him toward the front door; a few minutes later, Jennifer peeked through the front window to look for them and smiled, observing the two boys swinging back and forth on the white, wooden, front porch swing, their hands clasped between them as they stared at the pasture land splayed out before them, green now with the richness of late spring, conversing between themselves, their talk punctuated occasionally with loving looks and brief kisses.  "Oh, Honey," she murmured in sympathy, knowing the sadness and heartache he was about to experience. But something convinced her that this was not just the quick, fiery passion of a young first love; there was something deeper going on here.  Something that would hopefully last beyond the separation of space and time.  At least, she hoped so.  Placing the foil-wrapped dessert down onto the small, round table that sat next to the front door, she turned and headed back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up.

 

* * *

_Two Days Later..._

 

"I wish you didn't have to leave," Justin told Emmett as the two stood beside Vic's battered, old truck.  "You sure you can't stay longer?" 

 

Emmett smiled back at his friend fondly, having to bite his tongue to say anything more.  He had promised his uncle his wouldn't, but being the type of person he was, it was extremely hard.  "No, Sweetie, I wish I could," he told him, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder.  He smiled at him.  "But you never know; I would love to come back some day.  I really like it here...despite your brother being an asshole." 

 

Justin laughed.  "Well, he's a little less of one now," he reminded him.  "And since he's gotten an actual job, he's not around as much to be so much of a pain anymore, either."  He blinked to hold back some tears stinging his eyes.  "I'm going to miss you, Em," he murmured. 

 

Emmett glanced over at his uncle, who shook his head so slightly that if he hadn't seen him do it, Emmett would have sworn it hadn't happened.  But he knew what that meant as he peered back at his friend. 

 

"We'd better get going, Emmett," Vic reminded him.  "It's an hour drive to Lexington." 

 

Emmett nodded.  Impulsively he reached out and pulled Justin into a hug.  "I'm going to miss you, too," he told his friend with a sniffle.  He broke off their embrace as he told him, "But don't you worry.  I'll be back one day.  In the meantime, you're going to be the object of every gay boy's wet dream at Vanderbilt," he told the other boy, making Justin blush.

 

"Emmett..."  Vic reached over to grab his nephew's arm to begin tugging him closer to the truck.  "The time..." 

 

But Emmett continued unabated as he walked backward toward the passenger side, still yammering away.  "...And I'll want to hear all about it when you come home to visit.  Oh...and you have my cell number, and my email address, right?  Don't forget to keep in touch!  I want to hear all about those frat boys!"

 

Justin laughed as Emmett finally opened the door and slid into the passenger side of the bench seat, watching as he quickly rolled down the window to continue speaking, even as Vic opened the driver's seat door, closed it, and started up the motor.  It sputtered for a few seconds before finally coming to life.

 

"...And if you ever break up with tall, dark, and brooding, you know where to find me!"  Emmett called out mischievously as he observed Brian walking up behind Justin with a scowl on his face, obviously having heard their conversation.  _Good_ , Emmett couldn't help thinking.  _Let this man know that Justin is a keeper_.  Of course, he _also_ knew that there was no one else for Justin but Brian, and vice versa.  With a final wave between them, Em grinned as he glanced over at his uncle, who merely shook his head in amusement. 

 

"I'm not sure which one's going to be the most surprised," Vic commented with a smile of his own as the vehicle slowly accelerated.  "Brian or Justin." 

 

"No one has spoken to Brian yet?"

 

Vic shook his head. "Still have a few things to work out. But things are coming together nicely so far," he added with a smile. 

 

"You should have seen the murderous look on Brian's face just now," Emmett replied.  "And all over just a little ole hug.  That boy has got it bad for our little blond."

 

"Yes, he does," Vic murmured as he pulled out of the dirt drive and out onto the main road.  "That he does." 

 

* * *

 

"Affectionate type, isn't he?" Brian muttered in irritation as he walked up to his lover; his back turned to him, Justin hadn't even noticed his presence over the sound of Vic's truck as it started up and moved down the dirt road toward the highway.  "A simple goodbye would have sufficed." 

 

Justin grinned before turning around.

 

"What are you smiling about?" Brian groused. 

 

"You're jealous." 

 

Brian snorted as Justin walked up to him.  "And you're delusional."  He averted his eyes, however, as the other boy approached closer, feeling awkward all of a sudden. He didn't like the feelings that were sweeping through him.  They confused as well as frightened him just a bit in their intensity.  He was forced to peer into Justin's eyes, however, as the other boy placed two of his fingers under his chin and lifted his head so they were eye-to-eye. 

 

"Brian..."

 

His lover sighed in resignation, knowing he was going to have to respond.  "I just don't see why he has to be so touchy-feely all the time.  He's always reaching over to grab your hand or squeeze your shoulder, or calling you "Baby" or "Sweetie," or even "Honey Pie."  He snorted.  "Makes you sound like a dessert cake or something.  And stop looking so smug!" Brian demanded as Justin's smile grew even brighter.

 

Justin's fingers slid over to the side of Brian's face as he cupped his head in both hands.  "You know you don't have anything to be jealous of," he softly assured him.  "If anything, I should be the jealous one." 

 

Brian couldn't help frowning.  "Why is that?  You have nothing to worry about there." 

 

Justin smiled.  "Well, we have something in common, then, because I don't plan on sharing you."  He paused.  "Brian, that's just the way Em is."

 

"Not with me," Brian pointed out.  "He's only that way with _you_." 

 

"That's because he knows you'll probably hit him upside the head if he tries anything like that with YOU."

 

"You got that damn straight," Brian responded.  "In a manner of speaking, anyway," he added with a smirk.  He let out a deep breath.  "Enough about Honeycutt.  I'm done with chores for the day. Want to go make some whoopee behind the barn?"  He waggled his eyebrows, making Justin laugh.

 

"Wow, you always make sex sound so glamorous," he told him as Brian rolled his lips under.  "Well, I would definitely be screaming out whoopee if we did.  Maybe a little 'hooray!' to go with it, too," he added with a grin. "But I have a race to practice for tomorrow, remember?"  He was still racing on a regular basis until the fall when he had to head off to Vanderbilt, but he had cut back somewhat since the accident to every other week rather than every weekend. With his father working - and his brother now, too - for once all their financial needs weren't carried strictly on his shoulders.

 

Brian groaned in disappointment.  "Not even a little yippee coyote?  No ropin' or ridin'?"

 

Justin giggled.  Anytime he heard Brian experimenting with more 'colorful' language more befitting his country surroundings, it normally just came out more comical than anything.  "Sorry, Tex.  Besides, I thought your uncle wanted you to do some fence mending out at the back of the pasture?" 

 

"Don't need to," was the surprising answer.  "Already taken care of." 

 

Justin frowned.  "You've already been out to fix it?"

 

Brian shook his head. "Nope.  Hired someone to do it." 

 

"You _hired_ someone?"  Justin replied incredulously as Brian nodded his head.  After a few seconds, it occurred to Justin how he was able to manage that.  "With the inheritance money." 

 

Brian shrugged.  "It's not doing any good just sitting around in some bank.  And God knows Aunt Sarah and Uncle Will's place needs a lot of fixing up.  I can finally start paying them back for everything they've done for me.  They didn't have to take me in after I got into trouble.  In fact, I have a good idea that Uncle Will was dead set against it.  If Aunt Sarah hadn't agreed, I'd probably be rotting in some jail cell right now." 

 

Justin nodded, unable to argue with that.  "But he doesn't feel that way now, though."  He paused for a moment, not sure how Brian would take what he was about to say.  "Brian, your uncle is a very proud man. That's not unusual out here.  Men only feel worthy around here if they feel like they're pulling their weight.  They don't like to ask for help. And when they do, it's done as more of a community sort of thing.  Not something just handed to them."

 

Brian couldn't help bristling. "I'm not just 'handing it to him,' Justin. He and my aunt have done a lot for me. It's my way of thanking them. Is that wrong?" 

 

Justin sighed.  "No, it's not wrong," he agreed softly.  "But you know your uncle can be.  I'm just saying don't be surprised if he doesn't warm up to the idea, at least not right away, anyway...okay?  And money in a bank earns interest, Brian." 

 

"I'm well aware of that, _Mr. Accountant's Son_ ," he replied, earning a not-so-mature sticking out of Justin's tongue in response.  "Remember, I told you how well I did in marketing and economics in high school? Sometimes, though, you have to choose your battles, and decide what's most important.  I got by with little money before, and I can do it again." 

 

"But, Brian..."

 

"Justin, please.  Just drop it, okay?  I don't want to waste one minute of time." 

 

"Waste?"

 

Brian nodded as he pulled Justin into his arms, closing his eyes to smell his hair, feel his softness and his warmth as he wrapped his arms around him.  "I don't want to waste a minute with you.  I want to remember every second now.  Every second before..."  His voice choked on the last part; he was unable to think of them saying goodbye, much less saying it out loud. 

 

Justin blinked back some tears as he slid his own arms around Brian to melt against his tall, lean body.  He felt Brian's chin resting on top of his head as he leaned his cheek against his chest and sighed in contentment.  He understood completely how Brian was feeling.  He knew they still had the summer together.  But to him, an eternity would never be enough with him.  When the time came, which of them would be the stronger one?  He had longed for this moment for so long - to forge a place in the world, to be out on his own; to make a difference.  But that was before Brian; before he had fallen in love with this amazing, proud, intelligent, young man.  He knew he was hardly a man himself; but he knew enough to know that he loved him with all his body and soul.  How could anyone be expected to choose between the two? 

 

Unable to hold back a sniffle, he finally pulled back to stare into Brian's face, finding his own glistening eyes matched his. He closed his eyes as the pads of Brian's finger caressed his wet cheeks.  As he slowly opened them back up, he forced a smile on his face, his eyes full of love.

 

Brian swallowed hard as he slowly brushed his fingers across Justin's lips as if he were memorizing them before his mouth replaced his fingers, the two lovers kissing deeply. 

 

"Come on," Brian whispered hoarsely as they finally pulled back, interlacing his fingers with those of Justin's left hand.  "Let's take a walk." 

 

Nodding at him and not trusting himself to verbalize what he was feeling, the two slowly headed away from Windswept Farm and toward the swimming hole, the light breeze a whisper amongst the trees. 

 

* * *

_Later That Evening - Dinner Time - Walker Farm_

"Come wash up, Brian," Sarah urged her nephew as the back screen door banged shut.  "Dinner's almost ready."  She frowned slightly perplexed, as Brian seemed to hesitate at the door.  "Brian...something wrong?" 

 

Brian shook his head.  "No...everything's fine," he told her softly as he walked further into the room, on his way upstairs to the bathroom.  But he didn't get far before his uncle spoke. 

 

"Brian, did you finish mending the fence as I asked you to do?" Will asked him from his place at the head of the table.  His brows furrowed as Brian stopped in his tracks, his back to his uncle. "Brian?  I asked you a question, Son."  There was no anger in his uncle's voice; more like a mixture of concern and curiosity.

 

Brian licked his lips a little nervously before he turned around; he wasn't going to lie to his aunt and uncle, but on the other hand he wasn't sure what their reaction was going to be. "No.  I mean...yeah, it was mended.  Just not...by me." 

 

"What do you mean...not by you? You said it was done."

 

Brian shuffled uncomfortably under his uncle's pointed stare.  "I...I paid someone else to do it.  I knew there was no way I could get it all done in one day, and I knew you were afraid some of the cows might escape." 

 

"You... _paid_ someone to do it?" Will repeated with a crease in his brow, trying to digest that stunning fact. 

 

Brian swallowed hard, sensing the disapproval in his uncle's voice. Before it wouldn't have mattered to him. When he had first arrived here, he didn't need anyone's approval; nor did he care whether he earned his aunt and uncle's respect. Now he knew that it did matter.

 

"Yes," he replied softly, his eyes shifting toward his aunt for support.  "I let the Stewart boys do it." 

 

Will's mouth hung open.  "The twins?  You mean Fred and Malcolm?"  The Stewart farm was situated at the beginning of their dirt road where it intersects with the main highway.  They had two thirteen-year-old twin boys who suffered from a mild form of mental disability, and the family was constantly struggling even more than he and Sarah were due to frequent medical bills the twins' health issues generated.  He and Sarah helped out as best they could with occasional gifts of homemade pies and just plain brute labor from Will. But with their own financial struggles over the years, that was the best they could provide as neighbors.

 

Brian nodded his head.  "Yeah...I...I thought they could, well, you know...use the money." He averted his eyes. 

 

Sarah wiped her hands on her apron, smiling affectionately at him.  Her nephew continued to surprise her, and her husband.  His initial look of dismay over Brian using his own money to help take care of their farm - which, she knew, was the root of his disappointed expression - had quickly transformed into something more akin to grudging respect.  "Go wash up, Honey," she told her nephew quietly, almost challenging her proud spouse to say something in rebuttal.  But Will remained silent.  

 

Brian nodded once more in relief this time as he walked down the hallway; his footfalls echoed on the wooden steps as he trudged up the stairs to do as she had asked. 

 

"I don't like it," Will stated as soon as Brian was out of earshot.  "Brian should be saving his money."

 

Sarah walked over to place a bowl of corn down onto the table as she stood beside him.  "Will, Brian did a good thing," she quietly reproached him.  "You know how much the Stewarts are always having to skimp because of the boys' medical bills.  And you _also_ know there was no way Brian - or anyone else, for that matter - could have gotten that mending done in one day. And he was right; you WERE worried one of the cows would wander over to the Collins property. And you _also_ know that Derrick Collins is a crotchety old man who would have complained to no end if one of our cows trampled even so much as one foot of his precious cornfield.  So you should be grateful to Brian for what he did.  You were too busy with other things today to lend him a hand.  He did a good thing." 

 

To Will's relief, she finally stopped, having to catch her breath and give him a chance to respond. As usual, his wife was correct. "All right, Missy...okay.  Enough said."  He peered up at her as he took her hand in his in silent acknowledgment of her wise words.  He was going to miss seeing Brian here all the time, and not just because he had been such a big help around the farm.  Since Dale had died, he hadn't realized how empty he had felt inside, and Brian had managed to fill that need admirably.  He and Sarah may never be rich in material wealth - but when it came to emotional riches, they were millionaires several times over.  That was more important to him than any other treasure.

 

After speaking with Vic and mulling over what he and Sarah had said earlier, he knew Brian wasn't meant to remain here as a farmhand, tilling the soil.  He knew there were bigger things on the horizon for their nephew - things that he could support emotionally, but could never aspire to. But that was all right. He was happy here.  This was where he belonged. But not Brian.  He sighed heavily.  "I'm going to miss him, Sarah," he murmured at last.

 

Sarah blinked back tears that unexpectedly came to her eyes.  "Me, too," she whispered.  "Me, too." 

 

A few minutes later, Brian returned, walking over to sit at his customary seat at the dinner table.  He peered over curiously at his uncle, who thoughtfully stared back at him in silence. 

 

"Something wrong?" Brian couldn't help asking.  "I told you why I..." He stopped speaking as his uncle shook his head, a clear signal to him. 

 

"No, it's not about that," Will replied as he stole a glance over to his wife.  "Brian...there's something we need to talk to you about.  And I think now's the time." 


	38. Inevitable Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day both boys had been dreading finally comes.

 

 

 

_Day before Justin's Departure to Vanderbilt..._

"He's still out there."  Will Walker didn't have to see his nephew to know he was still sitting on the front porch, because the steady creak-creak-creak of the wooden swing revealed his back-and-forth movements.  About an hour earlier, Brian had hurriedly eaten a few bites of the supper his aunt had so meticulously prepared, only to ask to be excused, saying he wasn't hungry.  He had hurriedly left out the back door after barely waiting for his uncle's nod of agreement before undoubtedly rushing over to a neighbor's home to visit a certain, soon-to-be college freshman who was leaving with his parents for Nashville tomorrow morning.  To both his and Sarah's surprise, though, they had heard Brian return shortly afterward, only aware of it because of the sound of his footsteps on the front porch, and then the squeaking noise emanating from the wooden swing whose springs always seemed to need oiling.  Brian hadn't spoken to them, or even entered the house. But from their places in the living room - Sarah finishing up a special project for Justin, and Will listening to the ball game on his trusty, portable radio - they could tell he was out there, and had been for over an hour now.

 

 

Sarah sighed as she put her knitting aside on the couch beside her and rose to her feet.  "I'm going to go talk to him."

 

 

Will eyed her from above his reading glasses, a copy of the _Saturday Evening Post_ held in his lap as he rocked back and forth slowly in his chair, a pipe clutched in his hand.  He wasn't sure why he had felt the need to light up his father's old pipe instead of choosing a cigar tonight; perhaps it was due to some sort of nostalgia, or some sort of connection with his nephew's melancholia. He knew all too well by know how it felt to lose someone you loved, although the situation with Brian and the youngest Taylor boy was quite a bit different; at least they had the chance to see each other again. He could never make that same statement about his only son, but he was thankful for the family that he still had - including both Sarah _and_ his nephew.  He took a deep breath and nodded at her, knowing he could never talk his wife out of anything when she had her mind made up. 

 

 

She half-smiled at him as she walked over to the front porch and slowly opened the door.  There was no way she could sneak up on her nephew as she opened the solid, wooden door with the crystal handle; like the swing, it made far too much noise for her to ever succeed at being secretive. But she wasn't concerned about that; she _was_ concerned about the young man she was able to detect through the soft light cast through the living room window.  Brian looked up as she opened the door, his shoulders hunched over and his hands clasped in his lap as his feet slowly propelled him forward and then backward on the swing, over and over again.

 

 

Sarah walked over and quietly sat down beside her nephew, who stopped the swing long enough for her to join him.  The two of them swung back and forth for several seconds in companionable silence until Sarah looked up at the moonless, dark sky, lit with thousands of stars shining like glittering diamonds.  It was one of the things she loved the most about living out in the country, away from the garish lights of the city.  Out here, only the true scope of the universe and night sky could be seen, and as always it was a sight to behold, especially when the moon wasn't present to partially obscure it.  She heard one of the cows baying in a mournful fashion out in the pasture as if echoing her nephew's sadness.

 

 

"Beautiful night," she commented softly at last. 

 

 

Brian simply nodded, too caught up in his emotions to respond verbally. 

 

 

"Still nothing?" she asked him, both of them knowing what she was referring to.  Brian had been faithfully checking his email inbox every morning as soon as he awakened. But each day, he had come down to the kitchen for breakfast, his crestfallen look clearly indicating his disappointment. 

 

 

Brian shook his head.  "No," he whispered hoarsely, swallowing to try and tamp down his feelings. He sighed heavily, pressing his lips firmly together as if it could hold back his frustration. "Nothing.  Besides, it's too late now anyway."  He stared out at the front yard, the beauty of the night escaping him at the moment.  It was hard to appreciate such things when your heart was breaking. 

 

 

Sarah reached to grip his hand.  "Don't give up, Brian.  School doesn't actually start for a couple more weeks. You know what they said.  You might not hear anything until even the day or two before school starts when you're on the wait list." 

 

 

Brian nodded glumly.  "I know. But the odds now..."  He shook his head.  "Why does he have to leave two weeks before the start of school, anyway?"

 

 

Sarah had to hold back her smile as she reminded him gently, "You know why.  To get moved in, attend orientation, and just become overall familiar with his new surroundings.  Besides, remember?  His new instructor who's teaching the equine portion of his academics program wanted him to visit the stables to become better acquainted with the horses he'll be working with for the Art Therapy portion of his studies.  Jennifer told me the instructor was very excited when he found out how much experience Justin has had with horses; he thinks he'll be a valuable resource for not only him, but also for his classmates who might not have ever even been _on_ a horse."

 

 

Brian snorted.  "Yeah...good for him."  Sarah lifted an eyebrow at him in a decidedly 'schoolmarm' type fashion as he sighed again.  "I know, I know; you don't have to say it.  I AM happy for him, Aunt Sarah.  Really.  And I'm so fu...so damn proud of him, too, for what he's accomplished.  But I was still hoping that...well, you know...that things could have been different."  He cradled his head in his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees before he looked back up at her.  "Now what am I going to do?  Be content to just see him occasionally on weekends or over his breaks?"  He shook his head in disbelief.  He knew this day was coming; he had known it for months now; hell, almost from the beginning.  Now that the day was almost here, however, he was finding it extremely difficult to accept. 

 

 

"Honey, you're going to do what you have always done.  You will support him; you will love him.  You will always be there in his heart, no matter where he is.  And you are NOT going to stop living your life, no matter what happens.  But don't give up, either.  Miracles do happen.  They happen every day.  In fact," she added, as they continued to swing slightly back and forth, "I happen to think it was a miracle that brought you here.  Look what you have done, Brian.  Look at how many lives you have changed, and the changes you have helped bring.  Thanks to you, your uncle has started enjoying life again, instead of just existing from day-to-day.  Do you know he's even thinking about having children from the elementary school come out for visits to the farm, just to learn about living here?"

 

 

Brian turned to look at her with a frown across his forehead.  "He is? Why?" 

 

 

She smiled with a nod.  "Yes.  Because nowadays more and more of the kids in school aren't even exposed anymore to farm life.  Too many of the neighbors we used to know have had to sell and move away. He wants to make sure that the children are aware that food doesn't just appear miraculously at a grocery store. He wants to help develop a better appreciation of the life we live here, and hopefully help to preserve it for the future.  And..." she paused for a moment, ...he's hoping eventually that YOU might want to live here permanently." 

 

 

Brian's eyes widened in shock.  "Me? Live here permanently?"  He shook his head regretfully.  "I don't know, Aunt Sarah.  Don't get me wrong; I really like living here, for a lot of reasons.  And not just because this is where I met Justin," he hastened to explain, although to him that was one of the best reasons, if not THE best reason, along with meeting his aunt and uncle, the family that had literally changed his life.  "But while I have a lot of respect for farmers, especially now, I just can't see me living this sort of lifestyle on an ongoing basis." 

 

 

She nodded.  "I know," she conceded.  "But that doesn't mean that when we're gone...and you know that will happen eventually," she told him when he tried to interrupt her, not wanting to think of the inevitable, "...when we're gone, we're hoping that you will want to keep this land in the family somehow." She shuddered.  "As much as I still love my sister, I would never want her to have this place; and especially not if she's with Jack.  Neither one of them would appreciate this land and this house, or love it the way that we do. And I think you feel the same way.  Too many farms have been auctioned off around here, and at the rate it's going, what we see right now each morning when we wake up may one day be either farms run by giant conglomerations, or some big shopping mall."  She inhaled and let out a deep breath.  "Will and I are determined that won't happen.  This land is too beautiful - and our hearts are tied too deep to this soil - to ever let that happen." 

 

 

She looked fondly at her nephew; even in the rather dim lighting coming from the living room, she could still see emotions warring on his face.  "If you decide that's not what you want to do, Brian, it's okay.  Will and I have talked about this, and if need be, we will place this land in a conservancy, so it will always remain just the way it is.  We know you won't really need the land for investment purposes - goodness knows you will have enough to live on now with your inheritance - but we still hope that you will find a way to keep this farm in the family."  She gazed out onto the front yard, the vista she had seen thousands of times before.  "This has been mine and Will's home for a long time. It was Dale's home, too, and we had hoped that one day he might..."  Her voice trailed off, and she cleared her throat to compose herself, feeling Brian's hand squeezing her in comfort.  She nodded at him with a watery smile to signal she was okay.  "But it wasn't meant to be...so we would be proud and happy if you would decide to take ownership of it one day.  It will be yours once we're gone anyway. We have no other family left now.  Except you." 

 

 

Brian's eyes glistened; he was overwhelmed at the thought.  He knew how much this farm meant to them.  "Aunt Sarah...I, I don't know what to say," he murmured, temporarily forgetting about his own sorrows for the moment.  "I..."  He moistened his lips that had suddenly become dry before he replied, "I know how much this place means to you and Uncle Will. So don't worry; no matter what happens - or where I wind up in life - I will never see this farm destroyed.  I wouldn't dishonor your wishes. I will find a way to make sure this place is always here, and preserved the way it is now."  He took a deep breath.  "In fact, I was thinking..."

 

 

Sarah eyed him curiously.  "Thinking?  About what?" 

 

 

Brian hesitated; he figured he already knew what his aunt's reaction was going to be to what he was about to say, and he _definitely_ could guess what his uncle's would be. But he had to try.  "You and Uncle Will took me in when I really had no place to go," he told her.  "If it hadn't been for the two of you, I would have wound up in a prison somewhere, probably for a long time.  You agreed to let me stay here, even though you didn't know anything about me.  I'd like to find a way to repay you for that." 

 

 

"Brian...you have done more than enough for us.  We don't need anything else."

 

 

But Brian obstinately shook his head.  "I could never do enough for what you've given ME.  I can finally help to make a difference here, thanks to the inheritance.  I'm just talking about some cosmetic work for the farm to 'pretty it up,' as you like to say."  Sarah couldn't help smiling at his choice of words; it _did_ sound like something she would say.  "And maybe, just maybe, have a few things fixed, like the washer that has the leak in the hot water hose, and the roof that forces you to place a bucket in that corner of Dale's bedroom ever time it storms so it won't soak the floor and warp it." 

 

 

Sarah bit her lip as she hedged.  It wasn't that they couldn't use all those things. And the thought of finally having a fresh coat of paint and a new roof on the house would be such a blessing.  Perhaps they could restore it at least partially to its original glory. The majestic lady with the fading paint and elaborate scrollwork was not so grand anymore.  Her bones were good, and her back was strong. But her skin was very worn, much like the palms of her husband's hands after years of hard labor in the fields, and their farmhouse definitely showed its age now.  She recalled how lovely it used to look; could it look that way again?  The way it had back when their son was still alive? 

 

 

As if reading her mind and sensing her indecision, Brian urged her softly, "Please say yes. I'd like to do it as a sort of tribute...a tribute to Dale. And to the love you have for this place.  It won't cost that much. But I know it would bring you - and my uncle - a lot of pleasure. And if it makes you happy, then it would make ME happy, too.  Please, Aunt Sarah." 

 

 

Sarah gazed down at their clasped hands before she let out a sigh.  "Brian, that is so sweet of you to offer. And you'll never know how much that means to me.  I would be lying if I didn't say how much I would love to see this old house restored to its former dignity. But Will...William is another matter.  He's very proud, Brian.  And to accept your very generous offer would take a lot for him to be persuaded.  He would feel like it might make him less of a man, less of the person in charge, if he agrees to it, even if you _can_ afford to do it." 

 

 

Brian nodded.  "I understand."  He had expected as much, in fact.  "But please, let me try.  I'll talk to him. And if he just doesn't want the help...I'll respect his decision. Fair enough?" 

 

 

Sarah nodded at him with a tender smile.  "Okay.  I can tell you really want to do this. But be prepared for him to say no, no matter how persuasive you might be." 

 

 

Brian smiled.  "Well, in my high school class on economics, I could be VERY persuasive.  The teacher was always saying I could sell ice to an Eskimo in my marketing projects." 

 

 

Sarah grinned.  "Well, let's hope you haven't lost your touch."  Her smile faded somewhat as she noticed the storm clouds in her nephew's eyes again; the same look he had had every time he had come downstairs to the kitchen table for the past several weeks.  "Don't give up, Brian," she told him, knowing he would understand her comment had nothing to do with what he was going to discuss with his uncle.  "Like I said, miracles happen every day.  You came here, didn't you?  To me and to Will, you were our miracle.  You still are." 

 

 

Brian's eyes teared up.  "Aunt Sarah?" he whispered.

 

 

"Yes?"

 

 

"Why does love make you feel such joy one minute...and then utter despair and sadness the next?" 

 

 

Sarah's heart clenched in sympathy as she let go of Brian's hand to wrap her arm around his shoulders.  Pulling him closer to her body, she knew nothing she could say would change the way Brian felt. So she did the only thing she knew how to do to comfort him...she held him tightly like she used to do for her son when he was distressed, lightly rocking him in her arms as they continued to swing back and forth under the starry sky.

 

* * *

 

_2:00 a.m. - Windswept Farm_

_Ping.  Ping.  Ping._

Justin's heart raced at the familiar light tapping on his window coming from the pebbles being thrown against the pane.  He was wide awake even at this late hour, his thoughts on the boy who was undoubtedly below his window.  Throwing back the covers, he rushed over to take a look.

 

 

Pushing aside the lightweight curtains, he glanced down and smiled at the familiar sight of his lover gazing up at him.  Sliding the lower part of the window upward, he leaned outside long enough to call out softly, "I'll be right down," before he turned and threw on some lightweight sleep pants over his briefs, grabbed his sneakers, and quietly shuffled to the bedroom door, taking care to try and not make any noise or step anywhere that was creaky as he descended the stairs heading down to the lower level.

 

 

In record time, he was walking to the kitchen's exterior door, wincing as the screen door squeaked when he opened it, but taking care to shut it slowly. He barely had time to turn around after closing the outer door before Brian had him pinned up against it, eagerly pressing his lips to his in a kiss that quickly grew heated as their tongues intertwined together, their arms sliding around each other's bodies to pull themselves even closer.

 

 

Justin could feel a pair of long hands roaming all over his back; he let out a gasp a few seconds later as they slid underneath his sleep pants and planted themselves over the curve of his buttocks, the smooth fabric of his briefs the only barrier between Brian's hands and the bare skin of his ass. "Brian," he moaned out as they finally broke their kiss.  "Oh, God.  I want you so much." 

 

 

"You have me," was the instant, husky reply as Brian leaned in with the clear intention of stealing another kiss - and taking what he wanted so badly.  He didn't know when he and Justin would be together again, and while he had tried to remain back at the farm and wait until later this morning to say his private goodbye to him, he had found that impossible to follow as he had lain in bed, unable to sleep.  No matter how hard he had tried, he couldn't help thinking about this boy who was about to leave him, and before he knew it, he had slipped on some jeans, thrown on an unbuttoned, long-sleeved shirt, and grabbed his shoes before quietly heading over here with the strong suspicion and fervent hope that Justin, too, was awake.  He had been enormously relieved to discover that he had been right.  Now, as he held Justin in his arms, he found that he never wanted to let him go.

 

 

"Not here," Justin whispered.  He wanted no possibility of being interrupted. This might very well be the last time he would see Brian in quite a while, and while he knew he would never forget anything about this incredible young man, he couldn't help wanting to be with him one last time.  "Come on," he urged him softly, as he broke away from Brian to pull him toward the back porch steps. 

 

 

Despite the circumstances, Brian couldn't help grinning over his lover's urgency.  "Impatient much?" he teased him as Justin practically forced him to jog alongside him.  "Just where are you taking me, college boy?  You think you can just have your way with me?" 

 

 

"Damn straight I do," Justin told him firmly as he continued to pull him toward the Taylor's barn. 

 

 

Brian chuckled over his confident response. "The hayloft, Farm Boy?  How unoriginal."  Well, at least it was a different hayloft this time.  He could hear Justin's soft laughter in response...just before he stubbed his toe on a large rock he couldn't detect in the darkness, and felt pain lance through his foot and up his calf.  "Ow!  Shit!" he couldn't help growling as he gave a little hop.  He found a set of fingers pressed instantly over his mouth in reaction.

 

 

"Shh!  You'll wake up my mom and dad!" 

 

 

"Kinky.  I prefer just the two of us.  And NO farm animals; I'm not into bestiality." 

 

 

"We're not staying in the barn," he informed him.  "Just stand there for a minute; I've got to get something." 

 

 

Brian was more than willing to stay where he was; his toe was still throbbing from where he had stubbed it a little earlier, so he was more than content to stay in one spot while Justin shuffled into the barn; besides, the view from his vantage point was an extremely tantalizing one, he decided, as he watched Justin disappear into the barn. A few minutes later, he walked back out, carrying what appeared to be a couple of blankets, along with two saddles. 

 

 

Brian's eyes widened in realization.  "Are you crazy?  You're expecting me to ride a horse in total darkness?" 

 

 

"It's not totally dark," Justin pointed out as he shifted the fairly heavy bundles in his arms.  "Here, take True Blue's."  Brian warily accepted the saddle from him as Justin explained, "Horses can see fairly well in the dark; they have vision similar to dogs.  Come on; we'll just ride out up into the field near the big oak tree.  It's a clear shot up to there.  It'll be fine.  Or, if you're too scared to handle him..."

 

 

Brian could swear he saw an evil twinkle in his lover's eyes as he huffed in indignation.  "Let's go," he demanded as Justin grinned back at him triumphantly, knowing that would be precisely how Brian would react.  He never had been one to back down from a challenge, just like him.   "Besides, I've never fucked a college boy before." 

 

 

 

 

Approximately ten minutes later, it was apparent Justin knew what he had been talking about.  The two horses currently were tied up several feet away to the massive oak tree that stood like a formidable tower in the daytime, providing a great deal of shade for both man and beast. Right now, however, its welcome shade was not relevant, nor important.  And the two boys currently lying on top of the two flannel blankets that Justin had secured from the barn were too occupied at the moment with other matters to even contemplate its usefulness.

 

 

"Brian..." The stuffy, humid air of the evening had transformed into a more pleasant temperature several hours later, but even unclothed neither boy felt cold or uncomfortable.  "Brian...Hmm...that feels _so_ good."  Justin's hand trailed along his lover's strong bicep, feeling the strength and tautness beneath his touch as Brian lips nuzzled his neck, his collarbone, and then his jaw before finding his mouth, biting the lush, lower lip playfully before sliding his tongue inside and deeply kissing him, their bodies melding together as hands and lips expressed their love and their passion, as well as their dread over what the morning's sunrise would bring them.  "Brian, I'm...I can't say..."  Justin swallowed hard as they pulled slightly apart, the lump in his throat like a deep knife piercing his heart. 

 

 

"Shh..." Brian murmured soothingly, as he pressed his long fingers against the younger boy's lips.  "Then don't say it.  I'm not going to say it, and neither are you," he whispered, his hands sliding down Justin's arms as they lay side-by-side, facing each other.  He gently pushed Justin onto his back and lay on top of him, noticing his blue eyes reflecting off the vast starlight above. He smiled at him.  "You know what this reminds me of?" he asked him unexpectedly.  Justin shook his head, curious.  "It reminds me of the first day I saw you like this, except you were lying on top of the water down at the swimming hole, totally oblivious that you were being watched.  I thought that you were the sexiest, hottest thing I had ever seen that day...and I still do." 

 

 

Justin blushed deeply at the unexpected, heartfelt words, only sporadically expressed by his lover.  He could still recall the first time he had laid eyes on Brian as he, his uncle, and aunt had slowed down in front of their house as he and Jared had been painting their fence.  He had no way of knowing at that time how his life would change, merely with the appearance of this older boy; this stubborn but magnificent boy.  "Brian..." he managed to whisper, his voice breaking with emotion as he gazed into his eyes.  "Just for tonight...I want to forget about everything and everyone else.  I only want to think about you." 

 

 

The familiar melody of what Brian had come to recognize as country living enveloped the two of them as he nodded.  He tuned out the crickets and tree frogs announcing their massive presence, the occasional, plaintive sound of one of the cows out in the pasture; the faraway, mournful wail of the train horn from down in the valley several miles away.  Right now, all he wanted to see was the beautiful boy lying beneath him, feel the warmth and softness of Justin's skin, and savor the sound of his sighs and moans as he made love to him and brought him to the apex of pleasure.

 

 

He leaned down to tentatively press his lips against Justin's, nestling his legs on either side of the other boy as Justin caressed his back, his hands lightly traveling up and down his skin like fingers playing a fine instrument.  He couldn't prevent the gasp that escaped his lips as Justin shifted underneath him, causing their quickly hardening cocks to rub against each other.  He could feel the wetness against their lower bodies as he slid his tongue into Justin's mouth to thoroughly explore it, wanting to remember every nuance of Justin's body and memorize it for those times when they couldn't be together.  It was not enough, though.  It would never be nearly enough; it would always be an extremely poor substitute for the real thing. But it would have to do until he was able to be with him again.  

 

 

Propping himself up on his elbows, he gave Justin one, last peck before his lips slowly traveled to the side of his jaw, down his neck and over to his right collarbone to lightly nip the hardness there, hearing Justin's sharp intake of breath and feeling his fingers gripping his arms tightly as Justin moaned out his name.  "Oh, God, Brian," he breathed out as Brian's hands roamed lower as his lips moved over to Justin's right nipple, using his teeth to nip playfully at the pebbled flesh before his tongue flicked out to wet the hardened skin, feeling Justin's fingers fisting his hair as he whimpered, Brian knowing this was one of the younger boy's most sensitive erogenous zones.  "I need you.  Brian...please..."  He squirmed as Brian's tongue moved down to tickle his belly button, swirling around the indentation as his hands skimmed over Justin's hips, loving him, worshiping him. 

 

 

Justin moaned loudly, his arousal flaring as his cock grew unbearably hard and began to leak profusely.  "Brian, now...no...not...not like this..." 

 

 

Brian couldn't help taking the tip of his tongue and slowly flicking it over the tip of Justin's cock to take a quick taste of its essence before he slid back up Justin's body until they were face-to-face, pressing his lips against Justin's mouth to give him a brief taste of himself.  "You want me inside you?" he whispered huskily, his voice hoarse and deep. 

 

 

"Yeessss," Justin moaned loudly, his hands tightly gripping Brian's arms. "Now, Brian. I'm yours....always.  Take me.  Take me all night long." 

 

 

Brian swallowed hard at the urgency in Justin's voice, his cock hardening dramatically over the desire he heard as he nodded; too overwhelmed to speak, he reached inside the pocket of his jeans to find a condom and a packet of lube. Rolling the condom onto his cock, he tore open the packet of lube to coat his fingers before softly instructing, "Put your legs on my shoulders, Justin.  I want you to look at me when I'm inside you.  I want to memorize everything about you." 

 

 

Justin blinked back tears over the tender tone of Brian's voice as he did as his lover asked, hooking his feet over Brian's shoulders; a few seconds later, he felt the familiar coldness as Brian poked one finger, then two, inside him.  He hissed slightly at the initial intrusion as his body greedily swallowed the other boy's fingers, making Brian pause.  "No..." Justin croaked out.  "Keep going.  Brian, hurry," he urged him, feeling an overwhelming need to join with him, feel him, be marked by him. 

 

 

He felt the withdrawal of Brian's fingers then and held his breath in anticipation.  No matter how many times they did this most intimate of dances, his heart would always pound, and his breath would catch in his throat before he felt that initial press inside him.  He wasn't disappointed as he experienced the initial push of Brian's cock, and then a firmer thrust as he felt the hardness surround him, envelop him, fill him. He lifted his pelvis in an attempt to bring Brian even closer, making the other boy grab his thighs and then push in harder.

 

 

"Ahhhh....yes...." Justin practically purred at the familiar fullness, his eyes locked on Brian's.  "More...Give me more..." He gasped then as Brian thrust forcefully all the way in until their bodies were joined fully, warm, sweat-slickened skin pressed together as one. 

 

 

For just a moment in time, Brian paused, almost as if he wanted to recall every possible second of what this sensation felt like, what it meant to make love to this incredible boy, before - as if in answer to a silent command - he pulled almost all the way out, and then plunged back in, thrusting smoothly all the way as Justin pushed up against him to heighten their pleasure.  "Justin..."  Brian's voice was thick with emotion, his throat threatening to close off his oxygen.  "Fuck, I love you..."

 

 

Justin's breath hitched as they began their familiar dance of passion then, Brian thrusting in and out as his younger lover kept up with him, motion by motion, inch by inch.  This time it wasn't a hurried act of frantic coupling; it was slow, languid, and tender, Brian teasing his lover by bringing him to the brink of climax, only to draw back just before his lover could reach orgasm. 

 

 

"Brian," the younger boy whined in frustration, feeling like his heart would explode with desire.  "Please...stop teasing me."  It was torment, but the anticipation was making his heart pound.  His fingers dug into Brian's arms as he squeezed his eyes shut, his heart threatening to burst from his chest. He wasn't sure he could last much longer, but Brian was playing him perfectly, touching every spot, kissing him everywhere, murmuring words of love that made his heart soar with joy, but also with sadness, knowing that tomorrow would be the first day without him by his side.  "Brian, please..."

 

 

"Justin," was the almost reverent reply; Brian's pace slowly picked up as he rocked smoothly in and out of the slender body he now knew so well, perhaps even better than his own.  The other boy's soft sighs and upward tilt of his hips each time they moved together urged him into a deeper and deeper swell of emotion.  He pushed in harder now, his tempo increasing as he pulled back and then thrust back in again, unable to control himself, Justin's moans and sighs becoming more vocal and encouraging him to go faster.  He knew Justin was close now by the way his eyes were squeezed shut, and how his hands were clenching the blanket beside him as he fought to maintain control.  In a way, he wished he could go on making love to him all night long - and in a way, that would be true, because he intended to keep Justin in his arms all night long - but he also knew his own release was imminent.  "Justin, let go," he urged him softly.  "Come with me."

 

  
That entreaty - and Brian hitting his sweet spot over and over again - was all it took for Justin to erupt with pleasure, his muscles clenching around Brian's cock to hold it hostage and making Brian cry out with his own climax, his seed filling the condom as they both reached orgasm. 

 

 

Brian fell onto his lover's body as Justin's legs dropped to the ground and he slid his feet down the blanket until they were lying flat, Brian's legs trapped between his.  The rapid rise and fall of their chests indicated how violently both boys had come as Brian lay on top of his lover, too spent to move.  He felt Justin's hands lightly traveling up and down his sweat-soaked back and then down to briefly curve around his buttocks before trailing back up to rest at mid-back, wrapping Justin in a warm embrace as he rested his head in the crook of the younger boy's neck, cheek-to-cheek.  He slowly rose onto his elbows after several seconds to gaze into the darkened, blue eyes lit by the skylight above; Justin practically glowed with a light sheen all over his face, and his hair was plastered to his forehead.  He was fucking beautiful, and it made Brian's heart both soar with love, but also plunge into despair over his pending loss.  _If only_...he had wanted to share his plan with Justin. But what would have been the point if he couldn't have been sure?  And now it appeared he wasn't going to be successful.  Tomorrow, he would have to say goodbye, at least for now. 

 

 

Justin had wanted him to accompany him and his parents to his boarding house at Vanderbilt. But ultimately he had decided he would rather spend time here with Justin alone in private.  There would be one last chance for him to see Justin before he left in a few hours, anyway.  It would be the hardest fucking thing he had ever done. But for Justin, he would do it.  He would tell him to go and not look back. To be the biggest damn success Vanderbilt had ever seen. And he had no doubt he would be.  No doubt at all. 

 

 

"Brian?"

 

 

He blinked, realizing he had been lost in thought as he refocused his attention on the present.  He noticed the concerned look on Justin's face, and immediately sought to reassure him.  "I'm okay," he whispered with a half-smile. 

 

 

"What were you thinking?" Justin whispered, staring into his eyes as his hands stilled on Brian's back. 

 

 

Brian swallowed hard; he wouldn't tell him what he was really dwelling on.  He did not want to lay any sort of guilt trip on his lover.  Instead, he told him, "I was thinking how lucky I am to have come here to live with my aunt and uncle...how much different it is from where I used to live.  How surprised I am that I have actually grown to like it here.  And..." his voice trailed off as he continued to stare into Justin's eyes; those luminescent, expressive eyes; the eyes he could get lost in and happily never be found.  "...and I was thinking how much I...I love you.  And how much I'm going to miss you." 

 

 

Justin's eyes teared up; he couldn't help it.  "Oh, God, Brian.  I was thinking the same thing," he choked out. "I'm going to miss you so much.  It already hurts." 

 

 

"I know," Brian murmured as he turned his body to gather Justin into his arms.  Reaching for the extra blanket lying nearby, he pulled it over the two of them as he whispered, "Rest now.  And then we can watch the sunrise together."  Justin had always told him how spectacular a view the sunrise was from this particular knoll on the farm.  In a few hours, he would find out for himself. But for now, all he wanted to do was hold Justin in his arms, and forget about what the daylight would bring.

 

 

With a nod, Justin burrowed into his body, wrapping his arms around Brian's waist as he lay his cheek against his shoulder.  In a short while, he was sound asleep, leaving Brian to ponder what lay ahead, and to watch over him until daylight. 

 

* * *

 

_The Next Morning..._

 

 

"Craig!  Come here!" Jennifer yelled down from the second floor. The concern in his wife's voice caused Craig to sprint up the steps; he paused just long enough to locate her standing in front of their youngest son's bedroom.

 

 

"What's going on?" he asked as he hurried up to her. 

 

 

"Nothing," Jennifer reported as she stood there at the door, her arms crossed over her chest.  "Justin didn't come down for breakfast, and he's not in his room.  He's not in the bathroom, either; Jared's in there taking a shower for work. Where could he be?  He knew we wanted to leave soon."  It would take almost three hours to reach Nashville, and both of them wanted to get an early start.  Justin didn't have a lot of things he wanted to take, since the room he would be renting as a student came fully furnished.  But they preferred to get back home before darkness set in; the whitetail deer seemed to appear everywhere, especially at dusk. 

 

 

Craig snorted softly.  "Well, I'm not sure where he is, but I'll give you one guess who he's with."  He shook his head.  "I thought they said goodbye last night after dinner." 

 

 

Jennifer couldn't help sympathizing with her youngest child. She knew how deeply in love they seemed, and even she could recall a few times when she and Craig had to be apart due to his business travels.  She suspected it was even worse with her tenderhearted son, however.  "Well, I'll go ring the bell by the back door.  He's bound to hear that." 

 

 

Craig nodded, letting out an exasperated breath. He had come to accept Brian's role in his son's life, but during times like this, their relationship could make him quite frustrated.  He had hoped he might have had a few more years before his youngest son had become so entangled in a relationship such as this one. But it was too late now. At least his boy was still going off to college as he had planned.  Even he could see the folly of Justin remaining a sulky driver for the rest of his life, and he had to respect him for wanting to pursue a career that would involve helping others.  "I'll go hitch up the trailer to the back of the pickup," he told her as she nodded, heading off toward the steps with Craig following along behind her.

 

 

A few minutes later, Jennifer grabbed the thick, braided rope attached to their supper bell and gave it a yank, creating a clanging sound that echoed throughout the surrounding farmland as the bell swung from side to side.  Normally it was used to announce that a meal was ready; but it was also used on occasion to summon everyone back to the farm quickly. 

 

 

As Craig headed toward the truck parked by the gate, Vic and Emmett walked out of the barn to determine why the bell had been rung, having eaten breakfast about an hour earlier.

 

 

"Fixin' to leave?" Vic asked as he walked up to Jennifer with Emmett, observing Craig backing the now-loaded pickup truck up to what normally served as their horse trailer; today, it was going to be used to haul some of Justin's personal items to his new home-away-from-home:  a few souvenirs from his racing, a small rocking chair that had belonged to his grandmother, a few family photos, and some art supplies, along with a medium-sized laundry basket filled with personal hygiene items and his clothes.  Inside the bed of the truck - strapped down on both sides of the vehicle - was Justin's easel and his much-loved, worn saddle he normally used when he rode Headstrong around the farm.  He thought having it with him would bring him good luck. 

 

 

Jennifer nodded at the two men.  "Yes...as soon as we can find our son, that is," she told them wryly.  Just then, she noticed Jared walking out of the house, his hair still wet from his shower.  He frowned at the impromptu group gathered around the dinner bell.  "What's up?" he asked them as Craig moved to join them, having emerged from the pickup after attaching the horse trailer.  Jared looked around.  "Where's the squirt?" 

 

 

"That's what we're trying to find out," Craig told his son.  "Have you seen Justin this morning?" 

 

 

Jared shook his head.  "He's not in his room?  You know how he likes to sleep in until the last minute."  

 

 

Craig let that comment slide; up until Jared had gotten his job in town - and almost died at the hands of the gambling mob - he would have been the last one to wake up in the morning.  "No, he's not there. His bed's been slept in, but he's nowhere to be found." 

 

 

Jared smirked. "Maybe you should check with the Walkers to find out where Kinney is.  I think you might find the answer to your question then." 

 

 

Craig suspected he was right.  "Well, we have to leave in less than 30 minutes.  Where IS that boy?" he sighed.  "Jared, will you drive over to Sarah and Will Walker's and see if your brother is over there?" 

 

 

"Some things never change," Jared muttered under his breath, thinking he would have to watch after his little brother forever. 

 

 

"Jared..."

 

 

He threw up his hands.  "Okay, okay...I'll go check. But if I don't hurry, I'll be late for work.  Sheesh!"  He turned and scuffled over to his beat-up car that had a motor far too powerful than was needed, and turned the engine over to start it...only to turn it off as he noticed Will and Sarah Walker walking toward them. 

 

 

"Will...Sarah!"  Jennifer called out to them, craning her neck to see around them, a hopeful expression on her face.  "I was just about to have Jared come over and talk to you! Are Justin and Brian with you?" 

 

 

Their neighbors shared a concerned look between them as Sarah explained, "No.  We were coming over here to say goodbye to Justin before he left; we thought Brian had gotten up earlier to do the same. He's not here?" 

 

 

All the adults turned to Jared as he heard him snort. "Told you so!" he remarked with a snicker.  "Where you find one, you'll find the other."  There was a hint of envy and perhaps jealousy in his voice as he spoke; the pain and awkwardness of having someone like Kinney stolen out from under him by his younger brother still gnawed at him to this day, even though he had finally come to terms with the notion.  That didn't mean it still didn't hurt somewhat, however.  "I'm heading off to work," he told them. 

 

 

Jennifer looked shocked, even while she was worried about where her son had run off to.  "Don't you want to stay and say goodbye to your brother? You won't see him for a while, you know." 

 

 

Jared sighed heavily; he never cared for that sort of mushy shit anyway.  "It's not like he's about to serve a prison sentence or something," he grumbled, quickly realizing how tactless that statement might have been as he peered over at the Walkers.  "Nothing personal," he added as they peered silently over at him, inscrutable expressions on their faces.  He suspected they never really cared for him.  He knew they practically adored Justin, however, especially Sarah, who had fawned over him from the moment he had been born.  Justin always had had a way of endearing himself to people, though.  He couldn't deny that.  "We talked last night," he explained to his mother.  "And I did wish him good luck at school.  We don't need to make a big deal out of it this morning, okay?" 

 

 

Jennifer sighed this time, resigned.  "Okay, then we'll just pass on your best wishes to him."  In a way, perhaps it was best for Jared, she decided.  If he had to witness the goodbye between his younger brother and the Walkers' nephew, she had an inkling that he wouldn't like it, because she knew it would only pinpoint even further how deeply they cared for each other - and how impossible it would be for Jared to even think he might have another chance with Brian, even with Justin absent.  She knew in her heart there was no way Brian's feeling about her younger son would change; it was clearly broadcast in everything he did, said, and expressed - every time she saw them together. 

 

 

"Yeah...do that," Jared told her, his voice a little flat as he tried to disguise his envy.  _Lucky little fucker_ , he couldn't help thinking as he put the older car in gear, and slowly drove off down the road toward the highway, relieved he wouldn't have to stay and witness the 'parting of the century.'  He shook his head in irritation before turning onto the main road to head into town, trying to force the image from his sight.  Just as his mother had suspected, when he had first heard about Justin's scholarship, he had been happy for him in a way, he guessed, but also envious of his young brother's success.  But he had also - briefly - entertained the idea of taking advantage of Justin's absence to try and regain some ground with Brian Kinney.  After all, even though he had pretty much resigned himself to not having any hope of interjecting himself between the two like he had before, anyone with an ounce of intelligence and a brain - and eyes - could see that Brian Kinney wasn't the type of boy who would go for long without having his 'needs' taken care of.  And he wouldn't have minded being the recipient of that attention.

 

 

But unbeknownst to his parents, he had heard the tap-tap-tapping on his brother's bedroom window last night next to his own room, and had peered through his curtains a few minutes later, just in time to see Justin practically fly into the other boy's open arms. And that kiss he had witnessed...he couldn't describe it.  In that one instant, he realized.  Nothing he could have done back then when he had first met Kinney - and nothing he could do now - would ever break the bond these two shared.  Even he could see that. While Kinney by his very nature was obviously a very sexual being, he had changed somehow under Justin's influence.  The apathetic-appearing boy who had come to the Walker farm without any apparent conscience or concern for anyone other than himself had somehow been transformed into an entirely different person now.  Was it Justin's doing?  Sarah and Will Walker's? All of them?  Hard to know. But he DID know that he would be wasting his time, trying to come onto the guy now.  He was too besotted with the little squirt now for him to even waste trying. 

 

 

Jennifer shook her head slightly as Jared revved up the motor and jammed his foot down onto the accelerator just a big too much, causing the engine to race as he drove too fast for her taste down the road; they had received only a little rain during the month, so the road was particularly dusty at the moment. Apparently Jared either didn't stop to think about how much would be thrown back into their mouths and eyes, or (as much as she hated to think it) he didn't care.  She sighed as she gave Craig a long-suffering look. 

 

 

Craig held up his hand.  "I know, I know.  He still has some manners to learn," he agreed.  He, too, shook his head in exasperation as he watched the car he and his son had finally gotten operational heading way too fast down the road, hearing the tires screech as Jared pulled out abruptly onto the main road heading into town. He finally turned to his and Jennifer's neighbors to ask, "So you haven't seen either of them?"   The two shook their heads, all of them not surprised that both boys were missing at the same time.  "Emmett?  Vic?  When was the last time you saw either of them?" 

 

 

Vic scratched the back of his head in thought.  "Hmm...now that you mention it, I haven't seen either boy since yesterday afternoon when they were out at the practice track. I reckon they wanted to get in one more race against each other before Justin left today.  After that, I got busy inside the barn and haven't seen them since." He turned to his nephew.  "Em?  What about you?" 

 

 

Emmett's face turned red for some inexplicable reason.  "Well..." he stammered.

 

 

"Emmett, if you know something, tell us," Vic demanded quietly.  "The Taylors need to get going, and both of us have a lot of work to do today.  Don't hem haw around." 

 

 

 

"Well...I woke up last night to use the little boys' room," Emmett started to explain with a smile; 'bathroom' was such a mundane term, even for a trailer.  "And...well...I did see them out the kitchen window." 

 

 

 

Craig frowned.  "Out the trailer's kitchen window?  That overlooks the back field? What time?"

 

 

Emmett felt all eyes on him as he replied, "Oh...I didn't really glance at the clock, you know..."

 

 

Vic smiled in amusement, knowing Emmett probably knew exactly what time it was. That boy could practically tell time by feel.  "Emmett...give it your best guess, then."

 

 

Emmett sighed, figuring there was no way around it.  "I guess it would have to have been around 2? 2:30?"

 

 

"Two-thirty as in a.m.?" Craig exclaimed.  Emmett nodded sheepishly.  Craig sighed heavily as he peered over at his wife.  "Jennifer...our son was out with their nephew at 2 o'clock in the morning?  Do we even have to ask the reason why?  And you wonder why I'm a little concerned about their relationship."  He glanced over at the Walkers before adding, "No offense...but, well...this is my son's first serious relationship.  His first REAL relationship at all."

 

 

Sarah reached over to grasp her husband's sleeve, a silent plea not to say anything he might regret.  "I'm sure they're fine," she reassured the other man.  "And I'm also sure you have nothing to worry about.  Brian cares a great deal for your son...and I think we all know how obvious it is that he feels the same way about Brian.  They're in love," she added, as if that was all the explanation they needed.  "And...my notion would be that they wanted to say goodbye in private...alone."

 

 

Craig scoffed.  "Goodbye..."  He let that word hang in the air. Everyone knew just what sort of 'goodbye' that entailed.  But what was he to do?  At least their relationship would have to cool off for a while, since logistically speaking it would be impossible for the two of them to be together all the time now. That was at least some consolation.  He had come to have a grudging respect for the Kinney boy.  But he still harbored some reservations about a long-lasting relationship between him and his vulnerable son.  Soon, however, Justin wouldn't be a boy; he would be a man.  He knew he had to let Justin make his own decisions. But he was still his youngest, and would _always_ be not only his youngest son, but the one who felt things the most deeply.  He supposed he would never entirely rid himself of wanting to protect him.  Ironic, however, how Jennifer seemed less concerned about them. But he could tell that even she was a bit worried at the moment. "Well...they've apparently had ample time now to say 'goodbye.'  I'm going to go look for them..."

 

 

Vic smiled as he spied someone out of the corner of his eye, hastily speeding towards them from the soybean fields.  "I don't think that will be necessary," he advised them with a wry grin.

 

 

Everyone's head turned to see Brian and Justin jogging towards them at breakneck speed from behind the barn; a sigh of relief escaped Jennifer's lips as she saw her son rushing up to them.  "Justin!  We were getting worried about you!  Where have you been?"  She shook her head as she noticed how flushed Justin's face was. She suspected it wasn't just because of how fast he had been running, either.  "Never mind," she decided, before Craig had a chance to interject.  "Run in and take a quick shower so we can get going. We have a long drive ahead of us." 

 

 

Brian and Justin gazed at each other, Brian giving him a slight, almost imperceptible nod as he nodded back at his mother in acquiescence, relieved he wasn't apparently going to be drilled about his whereabouts - at least not yet.  He had a feeling, though, that Brian might be the unlucky recipient of some serious discussion during his shower - and he had no doubt at all that his parents would be questioning him thoroughly on the way to Vanderbilt. But he didn't care. He wouldn't have traded all the time he had spent with Brian last night for anything. 

 

 

Just as Justin suspected, as soon as Justin had disappeared inside the house, the questions began.  "Brian," his uncle addressed him, his voice both quiet but stern, "You want to explain why you weren't at home this morning - and with Justin, no less?"

 

 

Brian sighed as he peered unblinkingly into his uncle's eyes. "Do you really have to ask that question, Uncle Will?" he replied quietly, knowing everyone's eyes were fixated on him, and feeling his cheeks warming in reaction.  "I would think that would be obvious, wouldn't it?"  He heard a sharp intake of breath from Justin's father as he added, "Well?  It's not like everyone hadn't already figured it out anyway.  I wanted some time alone with Justin to say goodbye - not in front of some big crowd.  Can't you all understand that?"  _Maybe it had been way too long ago for them_ , Brian surmised.  But surely at some point both of these couples had been in love the way that he and Justin were.  The only difference he could see, however, was that he didn't plan on their relationship ever becoming predictable or...comfortable, not like he viewed theirs. That would be way too boring, and it was one of the things that drew him to Justin - the fact that he would never be the kind to 'go with the flow,' or do what everyone expected of him.  Of that, he was certain. 

 

 

Sarah exchanged a glance with Jennifer before speaking. "Yes, we can," she told him, before the two men could say otherwise.  After all, Brian was right. Everyone had already ascertained where the two boys must have been; at least, that they had been together. That was self-evident.  There was something touching about these two boys, and the way they cared for each other and protected each other.  In a way, she envied them.  She loved her husband deeply - and knew he felt the same - but she also regretted that they didn't have the same sort of passion that her nephew and Justin shared.  Perhaps in time their love would transform into something more like hers and Will's.  But somehow she doubted it.  "It's just Craig and Jennifer needed to get going, and it was getting late and we had no way of finding the two of you." 

 

 

"Well, we're here now," Brian grumbled, a little disappointed that he and Justin couldn't have had just a little more time. But as soon as they had heard that damn bell, they both instantly knew the reason why...and that their time had run out.  He didn't want to think about that, but he couldn't think about anything else now. 

 

 

Vic cleared his throat as everyone turned their attention to him.  "Well, everything worked out all right," he pointed out sensibly. 

 

 

Craig huffed, restless to get started.  His youngest son's overnight dalliance with the Walkers' nephew had definitely not helped to keep them on schedule, but he knew it would be pointless to make an issue about it.  "I'm going to double check the trailer hitch," he decided.  "As soon as Justin's back outside, we need to get going," he told his wife, walking away toward their pickup truck, the horse trailer attached directly behind it. 

 

 

Brian's heart pounded. This was the moment he had been dreading for months now.  There was no more delaying, no more stalling.  It was the time he had not wanted to face; the time to say goodbye.  He licked his dry lips as he heard the back door bang open, his eyes fixed on his lover from the second he reappeared outside. 

 

 

The intense look on both boys' faces was a clear signal to Will and Sarah as Brian's aunt spoke up.  "Uh...Will and I will say our goodbyes now," she told Justin with a smile, her eyes watery.  "Will and I will miss you, Justin!  Promise me that you will keep in touch - and that you will come to visit us whenever you come home." 

 

 

Justin smiled at her as he walked up to them, Brian standing a few feet away, slowly shuffling side-to-side on his feet, at once impatiently waiting to talk to Justin in private, but also not wanting to say goodbye.  "I promise," he told her as she leaned in to kiss his cheek.  "You know I'll be making a bee line over to your house for some of your homemade pie." 

 

 

"And I'll have it ready for you," she assured him.  Take care of yourself, Honey," she added as Justin nodded with a smile. 

 

 

Will stuck out his weathered hand as Justin grasped the larger one in his.  "Good luck, Son," he told the young man before letting go.  He turned to his wife, knowing it wouldn't do any good to urge Brian to head home with them, at least not yet.  "Brian, I'll need some help with the livestock this afternoon.  I'll be out in the back pasture." 

 

 

Brian nodded in response to his uncle's words, grateful that his uncle understood, but his eyes never left Justin's.  Will shook his head in amusement before receiving a brief nod from his wife; reaching to clasp her hand, the two slowly walked back toward their home, realizing this would be the last time the two boys might be together for a long time.

 

 

Jennifer, too, sensed their need for one last moment alone, noticing she was more or less forgotten at the moment.  "Uhh...I'm going to go back in the house and make sure you didn't forget anything, Sweetheart," she told Justin; a simple nod was the only confirmation she received that her son had heard her as she turned and headed up the walkway and then up the stairs to the back porch, closing the door behind her as she disappeared inside the house. 

 

 

Only Emmett remained nearby, watching with rapt interest as the two boys stared into each other's eyes.  He was unable to prevent a sniffle in reaction to the two lovers, causing Brian at last to peer over at him as if in shock, only now realizing that they were not alone.  He arched an eyebrow at him significantly, clearly broadcasting his company was not welcome at the moment.  Fortunately for Brian, Emmett was not only a sentimental type, but very perceptive as well.

 

 

Vic's nephew walked up to them with tears in his eyes, reaching impulsively to hug his friend as he told Justin, "I'm going to miss you, Baby.  But you are going to be such a big success! And the impact you will have with all those children..."  He sniffled again as Brian rolled his eyes in barely-controlled exasperation, mixed in with a hint of his old adversary, the green-eyed monster.  A defiant gleam in his eye, Emmett pulled back slightly to glance over at Brian before he added just for good measure, "And those frat boys down there...whew!  One look at you, and..." He grunted in surprise as Brian abruptly latched onto his wrist and pulled him apart from his lover. 

 

 

"Yeah, yeah...Enough!" he growled in irritation as Emmett hid his smile, knowing precisely the reaction he would get.  He figured it wouldn't hurt for Brian to know he wasn't the only one who would find this beautiful boy irresistible.  "Say your ta-ta's and get going. I'm sure there's some manure that needs shoveling somewhere...other than here." 

 

 

Justin exchanged a grin with Emmett, who huffed in indignation.  "Thanks, Em," he told his friend.  "But don't worry; I'll be back here all the time, and you can come visit me whenever you want.  And we'll keep in touch, you know that."

 

 

"Well, just before I come, I'll text you my photo so you can hook me up with some of those hot jocks you'll meet.  I'm sure you'll get acquainted with a lot of them."

 

 

Justin smiled broadly then, knowing exactly what Em was doing.  "Not sure I'll be joining a fraternity or attending football games...but I'll be sure to keep your photo handy just in case." 

 

 

With a blistering glare from Brian, Em nodded back at him, unfazed by the heat he could practically feel coming off the other boy in waves.  "Okay...well...I'll go catch up with Vic.  Take care, Baby!"  With a wave, he grinned at Brian before he finally turned and walked toward the stables, at last leaving the two lovers alone. 

 

 

Both boys knew it would be only a brief interlude, and that Justin's parents were nearby.  But that didn't stop them from turning face-to-face to embrace one last time. They held each other tightly, arms holding each other as close as possible, until finally Brian loosened his hold, just enough to peer into Justin's face.  Expressive blue eyes stared into hazel ones as they blinked back tears, Brian struggling to find the feelings he so wanted to convey, but always found so hard to express. 

 

 

"Justin..."  Brian swallowed thickly as he wrapped his arms even tighter around Justin's back to hold him close.  "I..."  He swallowed again and licked his parched lips.  "Fuck, this is even harder than I thought it would be.  I don't want to fucking say g...no, I won't say that word.  I _can't_ say that word.  Because this is only going to be temporary," he vowed as Justin nodded, the tears blurring his vision now; a few escaped down his cheeks as he blinked, unable to stop them.  Brian took his thumbs to gently wipe the moisture away as he held Justin's head in his hands as if to memorize his face.  Although he knew that wasn't necessary; he knew he would be seeing that face in his dreams every night.  That wasn't what he wanted, however; he wanted to see his face, yes; but he wanted to touch him, feel his warm body pressed against his, love him, _make_ love to him. 

 

 

He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to compose himself.  For Justin's sake, he would stay strong.  He knew how much this opportunity meant to his lover, and how torn he was about leaving him.  He had to let him know that it would be okay.  How, he didn't know. But there was no other option; he would make sure Justin succeeded and fulfilled his dream at all costs.  "Justin, everything will be okay. You're strong; _I'm_ strong.  We will get through this."  He paused for a moment to gather the strength to tell him what was in his heart; he knew it was now or never.  "Our love for each other isn't going to change, no matter where we are, or how many miles separate us."  He stared into Justin's eyes before declaring, "If I have to wait a week...a month...a year...a fucking lifetime.  It doesn't matter how long it takes.  When you're ready...when you've found your dream...I'll be waiting for you." 

 

 

Now the tears flowed freely as Justin's throat constricted; choked with emotion, he didn't know if he could even speak. Instead, he threw himself back into Brian's arms, his hands sliding around to hold him tight.  He had always felt so secure, so loved, so protected when Brian held him.  How was he ever going to do this?  "Oh, Brian," he cried out softly, his cheek pressed against his chest.  "I'm going to miss you so much." 

 

 

"And I you," Brian whispered, the two lovers totally oblivious to Jennifer observing them from the back window of the kitchen, realizing they needed one last time alone.  From her vantage point, she noticed that even Craig had paused by the side of the trailer, giving them just a few more minutes. She knew he still wasn't totally convinced that Brian was the best choice for their son, but she also knew that Craig loved their son enough to let him find his own way.  After all, very soon he was going to be a college freshman...a young man, not a boy. 

 

 

Brian gripped the back of Justin's neck with his right hand as he cradled his body against his.  He could feel the other boy's heart beating furiously against his chest...or was it his?  Hearing Justin sniffle, with great reluctance he pulled back, gripping Justin's upper arms to allow a little space between them.  "Time for you to go, Farm Boy.  Time for you to show everyone what you're made of. Time to pursue your dream and reach your potential."

 

 

Justin stubbornly shook his head.  "No, I'm not ready," he decided. 

 

 

"Bullshit," was the gentle reproach.  "Yes, you are.  And you are going to prove it to me. You're going to prove it to everyone.  Most of all, you're going to prove it to yourself.  I have no doubt about that.  None at all."  He didn't know where he got the fortitude to let go of the other boy then, but he did.  Now standing separate from him - and missing him terribly already - he urged him, "Now get out of here...get the hell out of here before I can't let you go.  Please, Justin."  He stepped further away from him to create more distance between them, already mourning the loss of contact. 

 

 

Both boys turned slightly as they heard the back door open then and Jennifer walk down the steps to join them. She placed her hand on her son's shoulder.  "Justin...honey...we have a three-hour drive, and it's getting late. We really do need to go," she reminded him, peering over at Brian with regret and sympathy.  She could see the pain written all over his face, even though he was doing his best to disguise it for her son's sake, whose distress mirrored the older boy's.

 

Justin hurriedly wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt as he nodded back at her in acknowledgement.  He swallowed down the lump in his throat as he managed to hoarsely tell Brian, "I'll call you later as soon as I get there." 

 

 

Brian managed a weak smile and a nod as he told him, "You'd better," he warned him.  He tried to make it come out as more of a teasing sort of threat, but it sounded more like a plea than a demand.  "Later..." he echoed Justin's word as the other boy nodded, reaching out his hand toward Brian who quickly grasped it.  Brian couldn't help it; he had to feel his body against his one last time. Pulling him closer, he pressed his lips against Justin's briefly, whispering against his cheek, "Remember what I said," before letting him go.  "You're going to rock their world." 

 

 

Justin nodded with a watery smile, feeling like his heart would break any moment, but knowing this moment was inevitable.

 

 

"Justin..."

 

 

Justin turned at the soft timbre of his mother's voice as she curled her arm around his shoulder and led him toward the car.  Standing by the driver's side of the pickup, Craig nodded at them, opening the door to allow both his son and then Jennifer to slide in and over to the passenger side of the bench seat before he took his place behind the wheel.

 

 

Brian stood there frozen to the spot as he watched Craig start up the truck and slowly begin moving down the road, his eyes rooted on the boy whose loss he knew he would feel profoundly.  It wasn't a death...but to him it felt just as painful.  Justin's eyes followed his until they couldn't maintain contact anymore, and it was only then that Brian let out a deep sigh, his shoulders sagging as his eyes teared up.  "Justin..." he whispered, somehow praying that he would get an answering response from his lover.  But all he heard was the sound of the wind, an occasional whinny from one of the horses, or the cluck of a chicken...everything that reminded him of _him_.  Taking a deep breath and purposely NOT looking over at the stables or the practice race track where Vic's friend, Eddie, was working with True Blue, he turned and slowly trudged back toward his aunt and uncle's farm - now sparkling under a coat of fresh, white paint - fearing his life would never be the same again. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I tried hard to wrap this up in one more chapter, but, naturally, I got carried away and it didn't happen.:) But I have most of the last part done, so it won't be long before the final chapter is posted. I hope those of you waiting for an update on "My Heart's Desire" will bear with me just a little longer. I have not forgotten about it at all, but I do want to get this story done first so I can concentrate more on the other WIP. Thanks as always for reading and especially to those who take the time to comment. It is always greatly appreciated.


	39. A New Life Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin heads for Vanderbilt, leaving Brian behind. Is it permanent, however?

 

 

_Three_ _Hours_ _Later -_ _Near_ _Nashville..._

Jennifer glanced over at her son sitting by the passenger window; normally a non-stop chatterbox when he was excited, Justin had been mainly silent during their ride, either gazing downward at his clasped hands in his lap, or answering his parents with short, clipped, yes or no responses, and only when urged to speak.  Any other time they wouldn't have been able to shut Justin up - he had been dreaming of this day for so long - but for the past three hours their son had been noticeably withdrawn.  She sighed imperceptibly, reaching over to grasp his wrist to get his attention.  "Almost there, Sweetheart," she told him, trying to offer him a smile of encouragement.  "We were really lucky to get Vic's help in finding you a place to live off-campus nearby."  She bit back a sigh and shook her head slightly in frustration as Justin remained stonily silent.  "Honey, surely you're excited about this.  It's going to be such an amazing adventure for you!  Don't you see that?" 

 

 

Justin's emotions were all over the place at the moment. He had missed Brian practically from the second they had parted, and he knew that wasn't going to change. But if he were honest with himself, part of him _was_ excited; excited, but also nervous. Except for his trips to Red Mill and a few other racing tracks, this would be the first time he had really ventured beyond his comfort zone.  Not only that.  He would be here on his own, making his own decisions, and having his own freedom to do what he wanted, when he wanted.  Not that he felt especially smothered at home - his parents for the most part wouldn't be what he would call constrictive or overly strict - but for the first time in his life, he would be the one calling the shots.  He was becoming an adult, and now he could prove that he was up to the task.  That still didn't mean he did not feel his separation from the boy he loved profoundly, though.  How he would be handle that, he still didn't know.  Would he feel better in a week or two?  A month?  A year?  Perhaps.  But he would never stop loving him, no matter what.  He knew that Brian wanted him to be happy. But would he ever truly be happy separated from him?  He closed his eyes briefly, realizing he had never answered his mother's question, before he turned to look at her as if fully acknowledging her presence for the first time since they had left. 

 

 

"I...I guess so," he told her finally, a weak smile on his face.  Craig peered over at him, meeting Jennifer's eyes with a slight nod of satisfaction that she was apparently finally getting through to their son. 

 

 

Jennifer reassured Justin with a relieved smile of her own. "Everything will be all right, Honey.  You'll see."  Knowing what was uppermost on her son's mind, she added softly, "And you'll see him a lot.  And you can stay in touch in between times." 

 

 

Justin nodded, the inference to Brian causing a stab to his heart.  "Maybe," he told her as he turned to glance out the window at the passing scenery as they neared the outskirts of Nashville.  "But it won't be the same." He turned to peer over into his mother's face, her brow wrinkled with concern as her blue eyes looked back him sympathetically.  "I'll make the best of it," he finally told her as she nodded.

 

 

 

"We know you will...right, Craig?" she added, arching one eyebrow expectantly at her husband. 

 

 

Craig paused for a few moments before he nodded.  "Yeah...we know you'll do well, Son," he told Justin.  _At least scholastically_ , he thought to himself.  Emotionally, he wasn't sure. But perhaps being on his own might be good for his son.  He wondered at times how much of an influence the Walker's nephew had on his son's actions.  Not that he hadn't come to grudgingly respect how Brian seemed to have matured since he had arrived.  And he had no doubt that Brian felt deeply for his and Jennifer's son, and would do all he could to protect him.  But maybe it would be good for them to be apart, at least temporarily.  Even he knew it was time for his youngest son to leave the nest and fly on his own.  "Justin, this is your dream," he told him.  "This is what you have always wanted; don't let your talent go to waste."  He paused for a moment before adding, "...and if it is the real thing...it will still be there...just like it is with your mom and me."

 

 

Jennifer's eyes widened slightly in surprise; Craig never had been the sentimental type, or one to openly express his commitment to her, so she treasured each rare instance when he did.  She smiled warmly at him, earning a shrug in return and a faint smile.  "He's right, Justin.  You'll see."  

 

 

"It IS the 'real thing,' Dad," Justin spoke up, his voice clipped and just a bit defensive.  "Just because I'm young doesn't mean I don't know what love is. And...I love _him_."  He shook his head as if he couldn't understand why his father didn't fully believe that. Don't you get it? That's why it hurts so much.  I wanted him here to share this with me."  He sighed mournfully.  "But that's not possible.  Shit, I never thought this would happen. I thought if I ever got to go to Vanderbilt that I would be so happy." 

 

 

Jennifer gazed at her softhearted son.  "I guess this is bittersweet, then...isn't it?"  She asked with a sympathetic smile as he nodded.  "Well...look at it this way. Because Brian does love you, I know he would want you to be happy. And you know if you didn't give yourself this chance, you would never forgive yourself, and neither would Brian.  Right?" 

 

 

Justin had to admit that his mother had a point.  He finally nodded reluctantly.  "Right," he admitted.  That didn't mean it made him feel particularly any better about being separated from Brian, but his mother was correct.  He _would_ want him to be happy.  "Okay," he murmured at last.  "I'll try to think about it as positively as I can."  _But God, I will miss you so much, Brian_ , he couldn't help thinking to himself.  The ache in his heart was piercing and pronounced.  He could only imagine what it would feel like after being apart for a longer time. 

 

 

"That's a wise decision, Son," Craig told him as he exited the highway.  "We'll be at the boarding house soon, and once you get all settled in, I'm sure you'll feel better."  The skeptical look on his son's face, however, indicated he didn't quite believe that.  "I've heard Vic talk about his sister for so long, I'm looking forward to meeting her," Craig added.   Vic had spoken often of his sister, Debbie, for years now, and had shown him photos of both her and her house.  Each fall she rented out a couple of rooms in her home for students at Vanderbilt, not only to gain a little additional income to supplant her occupation as a waitress, but - in Vic's words - to help her 'stay young.'  Craig knew very little about her, apart from what Vic had told him. But from the stories and photos he had shown him, the woman appeared at the very least to be harmless...and just a bit eccentric, maybe even odd.  Her clothing certainly indicated that.   She seemed to have clothing with more sayings on it than the town's tattoo shop.  But he trusted Vic implicitly, so if he said Debbie's home would be a good place for Justin to reside while at school, he believed him. 

 

 

"Maybe," Justin mumbled doubtfully.  He turned his head to gaze out the window at his surroundings.  They were far different than the wide open spaces he was used to, although the neighborhood looked pleasant enough.  He had heard Vic telling his father that his sister Debbie lived in an area called Hillsboro, a relatively short walk to Vanderbilt - or Vandy as he was learning people liked to call it.  The area seemed rather charming with its shady streets and older homes, and as they drove down what seemed to be the main street, he couldn't help looking with some spark of interest at the small, unique-looking shops that bordered each side of the street, and what appeared to be a number of art galleries and supply stores. He made a mental note to check those out at the first opportunity, despite his present state of glumness. 

 

 

"There," he heard his mother call out as she pointed to the left.  "That's it.  Elmwood Street."  The street seemed to live up to its name, Justin noted, as they turned left onto an older neighborhood of well-kept homes, mainly Victorian in appearance, with rounded, front porches, elaborate scrollwork on the eaves, and some with even bay windows or turrets.  He had to silently admit that the older, historical houses were both unique and charming, and the approximately half-acre lots helped him to not feel quite so boxed in as he assumed he would feel living in a dorm room on campus, or in some mundane-looking, brick apartment complex.  He hadn't been very enthusiastic when his mother and father had informed him of their decision regarding his living arrangements - in fact, he had been somewhat miffed at the time that they hadn't consulted him - but as he looked at his surroundings he had to admit the area did appeal to him. 

 

 

"Slow down, Craig," Jennifer urged her husband, reaching over to grip his wrist for emphasis.  "I think we're getting close."  She read off the house numbers from the front of each home, noting that Debbie's should be on the right, before finally spotting what they were looking for:  #1285.  "There!  That one with the flower planters on the porch railing!"  Jennifer smiled in delight.  "Oh, Justin, it's lovely!" she gushed, spying two large Boston ferns hanging on either end of an expansive front porch, with large, round, white columns on either side of a wide set of stairs. She could see a leaded, front door, and white, wicker furniture on the porch, along with a white, wooden porch swing on the right side. The home was a two-story, with tall windows and a widow's walk on top. Neatly kept flower beds of various colorful varieties of annuals and perennials were planted on either side of the steps, and a wooden 'welcome' sign painted in rainbow-colors was hung vertically on the front door.  The house looked warm and inviting, and nothing like a dorm residence.  It made Jennifer's worry about her youngest son being so far away from home diminish just a bit as Craig steered their pickup and trailer over to the curb in front and parked it. 

 

 

The three of them barely had time to emerge from the pickup truck before they heard the front door opening and banging shut, and a pleasingly plump woman with flaming red hair rushed outside and scampered down the steps.  "There you are!" she exclaimed as she headed eagerly toward them.  "Vic told me you were on the way!"  She stopped in front of Justin first, eying him curiously.  "Well, aren't you just the cutest little thing?" she chirped with a smile, reaching over to unexpectedly pinch his cheek like he was a newborn instead of a college freshman.  "Emmett was right; you're fuckin' adorable!"

 

 

Justin blushed scarlet, hearing a gasp from both his parents over how comfortably Vic's sister used the 'f' word.  Justin quickly decided he liked this woman, even if she WAS a cheek pincher.  For the first time that day, he broke out into a smile in reaction to the stunned looks on his mother and father's faces. 

 

 

"And what a smile!" Debbie declared.  She glanced over at the horse trailer.  "You had to bring your own horse with you?  Shit, they must be hard up for money at Vandy!  Well, I hate to break it to you, Sunshine, but I don't have a stable," she cackled. 

 

 

"Uhh...no...it's got my things in it," Justin explained.  "For my room." 

 

 

"Your room?" 

 

 

Justin nodded. 

 

 

She snorted. "Honey, I rent out bedrooms, not the Taj Mahal!  But I have a basement where you can store what doesn't fit."  She peered over at Craig and Jennifer, who were still somewhat in shock over what she had said earlier.  "So you're the mom and dad that Vic works for?  The Taylors?" 

 

 

They nodded at her, Jennifer the first one to find her voice.  "Yes...I'm Justin's mom, Jennifer, and this is my husband, Craig." 

 

 

Debbie stared at them intently, sizing them up.  "Hmm...the way Vic described you, I thought you'd be a little older...and fatter!" she wisecracked. She quickly explained, "Emmett says he's gained at least ten pounds just from eating your gravy and biscuits...but he made sure to tell me that I still make the best ones here in Nashville!" she declared.  "White gravy or brown?" she unexpectedly asked Jennifer as she tried to keep up with Debbie's rapid-fire conversational approach. 

 

 

"Uhh..." Words seemed to escape Jennifer at the moment.  This woman took a little getting used to, she thought.  In fact, she decided she had never met anyone quite like her.

 

 

"Oh, never mind!" she told her, as she turned to peer back at Justin.  "Let's get you settled in, kiddo; I'll show you where your room is."  She paused briefly as the three of them remained standing in place.  "Well?  Open that trailer and toss me a lamp or something! Might as well take some stuff in as we go." 

 

 

Justin couldn't help grinning over her enthusiasm as he reached inside the bed instead to unfasten one side of the rubber tie-downs and grab one of two lamps he had brought with him, handing one to Debbie. 

 

 

"Give me the other one," she told him as she motioned with her hand.  "I'm not made of glass, you know.  I come from strong Italian stock." 

 

 

Justin chuckled as he reached back inside and retrieved the other matching lamp to hand it to her, noticing the brightly colored fingernails she wore - they had little rainbows painted across them, along with some gold glitter.  Debbie was unique to say the least, and he instantly liked her.  Something told him that his 'landlord,' however, might prove to be somewhat of a mother hen ruling over her roost shortly.  He wasn't sure if that was good or bad, though. 

 

 

"Grab a box or two and follow me," she instructed them, not waiting for a reply before she turned and marched back up the sidewalk toward the house, leaving Justin and his parents alone, figuratively scratching their heads as they tried to keep up with the whirlwind that had just departed. Justin shrugged at his mom and dad before doing as Debbie asked, walking over to open up the back of the truck bed and reaching for one of the cardboard boxes that held some of his art supplies.  Grasping the fairly heavy box in both hands, he turned and trudged after Debbie, anxious to see what his new home for the indefinite future would look like.  He turned just enough after taking a few steps to observe his father unlatching the back of the horse trailer, handing a box to his mother, before he followed Debbie up the wide porch steps, noticing she had propped open the leaded door with an antique, cast-iron Wedgewood dog.

 

 

Walking inside, his mouth hung open in awe as he took in his surroundings. The outside of the Victorian home could be considered stately and even dignified in appearance, but inside every nook and cranny was occupied by knickknacks of every sort, from souvenir china plates, to kitschy wall hangings from the Smoky Mountains, to Indian dream catchers...even teapots sitting on a built-in shelf in the kitchen that led off from the main entryway.  On the opposite side was a sitting room of some sort, with more of the same, except everything appeared to have some sort of crocheted coaster under each item.  It was like a tacky museum of sorts, or a tourist trap ran amok.  He had never seen anything like it, except perhaps at the local county fair. But this put all their game booths to shame.  Not a single space was left unoccupied, with the exception of where a person might sit. Thankfully, except for a colorful, crocheted throw over the back of the couch, and an occasional stuffed animal here and there (he decided Checkers would fit right at home here), the couch and chairs surrounding the room were blissfully bare. 

 

 

"This way, Sunshine," Debbie urged him as she began to ascend the oak staircase directly ahead.  A smooth, polished banister ran the length of the broad staircase toward the upstairs.  Rolling his eyes over the nickname for him, Justin followed her instructions, glancing periodically over at the numerous family portraits hung on the wall next to the staircase, noticing a few photos of a very young Vic, and what had to be a gangly Emmett as a young child. He couldn't help laughing at one showing Emmett on top of what appeared to be a giant rabbit. 

 

 

"That was Emmett when he was six," Debbie told him, pausing at the top of the steps as she observed Justin leaning in a little closer to examine the photo with a grin on his face.  "The local mall was offering photos with the Easter Bunny.  Right after they snapped his photo, he fell off the damn thing, and almost broke his _own_ tail."  She chortled, causing Justin to snicker in amusement despite himself.  Continuing his walk, he stopped next to her near the top of the landing, both observing his parents entering the home with a box clutched in their hands. 

 

  
"Up here," Debbie called down to them.  "Last door at the end of the hall on the left," she instructed her newest tenant as she started to move in that direction, Justin following along closely behind her. He was inordinately curious now as to what his 'home-away-from-home' would look like.  Would it, too, be full of tacky trinkets like the rest of the house he had seen?  He hoped not. He would have enough trouble fitting in what he had brought with him.  She walked in and placed the two lamps down on top of a long, wooden dresser to the left of the door.  For the first time, as she turned around to face her Justin, she seemed a little unsure of herself.  She smiled at him as she placed her hands on her hips.  "I hope you'll be comfortable here, Justin.  It's nothing fancy...but it's safe here. And you'll be treated like family."  She studied him so intensely before speaking again that Justin felt his face warming over her scrutiny. "Vic thinks a lot of you...so you must be something special." 

 

 

Jennifer stood in the doorway listening to Debbie speaking to her son, her voice unexpectedly soft and tender, and she instantly felt a sense of relief wash over her.  She glanced over at Craig and nodded at him in approval, their concerns about leaving their youngest son here dissipating somewhat. 

 

 

The room was surprisingly uncluttered, considering the lower level's appearance.  Oh, there were some macramé hangings on the wall, and some mass-produced artwork scattered about as well (Justin would have great difficulty in describing them as anything even approaching artistic, however), and the garishly colored coverlet on top of the double-sized bed was somewhat faded. But the room was clean, spacious, and very bright by virtue of the two tall windows that faced the afternoon sun. To his delight, there was even a small, curved cove that jutted out under the windows that would be a perfect place for setting up his easel for painting.  He could already feel his hands itching at the mere thought of being able to use it for his art, and it made his heart speed up in anticipation and a smile break out on his face. 

 

 

As if reading his mind, Debbie revealed, "I've never had an art student renting from me. But I thought that space over there might give you some good light for painting.  She grinned as she explained, "Your paintings should dry pretty quickly, too, because there's enough air that escapes through the cracks to dry a fucking igloo!"  Justin covered his mouth with his hand to keep from outright laughing; he didn't know if he was more amused by what Debbie had just said, or by the astonished looks on his parents' faces over her continued use of 'colorful' language.  "Oh, but not to worry," Debbie continued nonplussed.  "Vic said he'll come visit soon and put some more caulking around them...but only if I fix his favorite meal...lasagna with meat sauce, tri-color pasta salad, and homemade garlic bread.  You like Italian cooking, Sunshine?" Debbie asked Justin.  "Because if you don't, I'll have to kick your perky little bubble butt out of here, and that would be a real shame; we need someone to brighten things up more around here."  She shook her head in irritation. "Too much rain lately!  I can't get into my tomato patch in the backyard!"   

 

 

"Uhh...I don't think I've ever had any Italian food before," Justin told her sheepishly, earning an almost insulted expression from the red-haired woman.  Her large hoop earrings swung back and forth as she cried out, aghast, "You've never had any Italian cooking?!"

 

Justin shook his head, feeling his cheeks flushing over all the attention.  They didn't exactly have a variety of dining choices where he lived, and his mother mainly cooked what would normally be called 'down home, Southern cooking.' 

 

 

"Shit!" Debbie muttered.  "We'll have to fix that!  You're not one of those weirdo vegetarians, are you?  Like a tofu eater or something?"

 

 

Justin frowned.  "What's tofu?"

 

 

Debbie crossed herself and gazed upward.  "Thank St. Francis! There's hope yet.  At least he likes meat." Her eyes drifted back over to her young tenant.  "You DO eat meat, right?" 

 

 

Justin smiled.  "Sure.  I love fried chicken.  Mom makes the best fried chicken in all of Kentucky!  And liver and onions, too." 

 

 

That earned a proud smile from Jennifer, even though she was silently questioning the wisdom of leaving their impressionable youngest child with someone like Debbie Novotny.  Vic was a pussycat compared to this steamroller!  And her language.  She had heard more profanity come out of this woman's mouth in the past five minutes than she had used herself in the last five _years_.  But she seemed kind, and she was making her son's mood lift somewhat. That accounted for something.

 

 

"Well, I'll let you all get unpacked while I'm fixing dinner," Debbie told them.  She waggled a fingernail at Craig and Jennifer.  "And you are staying for lunch, too.  I don't have another renter yet, and I fix way too much food as it is.  I have a feeling you don't eat a lot of Italian food, either, do you?" 

 

 

Jennifer shook her head.  "No," she admitted.  "Uh...That's very kind of you, Mrs. Novotny, but..."

 

 

"Debbie," their hostess instantly corrected her.  "My _mother_ was Mrs. Novotny.   I don't plan on letting anyone call me that until I'm at least 80!" she declared firmly.  "Now go bring up the rest of Sunshine's stuff here, and by the time you're done I'll have lunch ready for all of us.  I promised Vic I'd send some of my lemon bars back with you, too, or he'll never forgive me. Don't let me forget."

 

 

"We have a three-hour drive back," Craig spoke up then.  "We can just pick something up on the way back home."  Craig, too, was wondering just what they had gotten themselves into.  He trusted Vic's judgment, but this woman was totally different than her brother.  Perhaps she was adopted, he decided.  At either rate, this brash female version of a sailor was not what he had expected. What sort of influence would she have on their son? 

 

 

"Nonsense," Debbie retorted.  "What? Pick up some cardboard-tasting burger along the way?  It'll take me no time at all to whip something up!  I insist.  Besides, I already have it started."  She turned to head out of the room, calling out, "If all of it doesn't fit, basement door is on your right as you came in!  Fifteen minutes!" 

 

 

Craig's mouth opened to protest, but she was gone before he had the chance.  He peered over at Jennifer with concern.  "She is nothing like I imagined," he told his wife, who nodded back at him. "And the profanity!"  He sighed.  "Maybe we should find somewhere else for Justin to..."

 

 

"No!" Justin interrupted.  "I _like_ it here!  It'll be fine, Dad!"  It was the most animated either parent had seen Justin since they had left the farm. 

 

 

"Justin, I'm concerned about what sort of influence she might have on you.  You'll need to study and concentrate on your program.  This woman seems like she would be at the very least a big distraction."

 

 

Justin huffed in exasperation.  "Dad, come on! It's Vic's sister!  We've known him for years! He wouldn't recommend my staying here if he had any doubts about it.  Besides, I'll be doing most of my studying at the library anyway.  And I'll have my own room! You think she's going to just barge in here?"

 

 

Craig shrugged.  "With _this_ lady?  Who knows?"  He sighed as Jennifer gave him a long-suffering look.  "I just don't want anything to happen to prevent you from being successful in your studies. You've wanted this for so long..."

 

 

"I know that!  I won't waste this chance," Justin assured him, his voice a little sharp.  He was more aggravated at the moment with his father's skepticism than upset over his separation from Brian.  He thought he could see his parents relenting just a bit, however.

 

 

"Craig, it would be hard, if not impossible, to find anywhere else for Justin to stay that is clean and reasonable at this point," Jennifer stated.  "Two weeks before the start of school?  And this _is_ supposed to be one of the safest neighborhoods near the college.  And within walking distance."  Yes, Debbie seemed quite over-the-top and just a bit crass. But Vic had told them numerous stories over the years of how his sister had helped take care of him when he had needed financial help, or when he had been injured in a riding accident at the track, forcing him to need around-the-clock care until he had recovered.  It was obvious that Vic loved his sister dearly, and held her in high regard.  Her fears began to subside as she considered all the facts.  Her mind made up, she told her husband, "Justin has good judgment.  He has been brought up the way we feel he should live his life, and he has excellent common sense.  We have to trust him now that he will remember what he has been taught, and act accordingly.  I think he'll be just fine here."  She smiled over at her son as she placed a hand on his shoulder.  "Now what do you say we finish getting him unpacked, and then take Debbie up on her generous offer for lunch before we head back?" 

 

 

Craig opened his mouth, only to shut it again, finding it hard to refute his wife's words.  He sighed as he held up his hands and dropped them against his side in capitulation.  "Okay," he agreed.  "But you have to promise us, Justin.  If anything happens to affect your ability to concentrate on your studies - or if your grades begin to slip because of your staying here - you will let us know so we can make other arrangements for you."

 

 

Justin had to bite his tongue to keep from issuing the stinging retort he wanted to say.  When would his parents begin to treat him as an adult?  "Dad, I'll be fine.  But if it makes a difference, then okay.  I promise.  But it will not be a problem," he assured him, as he gazed around the room with its splash of light flooding the space, the tall ceiling, and homey touches.  It wasn't the fanciest of places, but it had charm and character, much more than he knew a typical dorm room would have.  "I've waited far too long for this to mess it up now.  And I like it here," he told them simply. 

 

 

Craig rubbed the back of head in contemplation as his wife and son stared over at him expectantly, the pregnant pause almost like stagnant air settling in the room.  He sighed heavily.  "Well?  Justin's stuff won't carry itself into the house...and if we're going to stay for lunch, too, we'd best get the rest of everything moved." 

 

 

Justin grinned at his father - knowing he had won this battle, at least temporarily - and Craig grunted in resignation.  He still wasn't sure about this arrangement, but two against one?  He knew he had no chance of winning this argument, especially when Justin was determined to get his way. And for whatever reason, the sullen, glum young man he had driven here had unexpectedly come back to life somewhat now, and he did not want to discourage that change.  He shook his head, following his wife and son back down the hallway and then the the steps, silently grumbling that this place had no elevator.  He suspected he was about to get more of a workout than he normally did on the farm. 

 

* * *

 

_One Hour Later..._

 

Jennifer wiped her mouth with a gingham, red-and-white napkin before setting it down beside her now empty plate.  Debbie hadn't been kidding; she was an incredible cook.  She had virtually made a pig out of herself, but she peered over in surprise over at her son, who normally would have been on his second helping; especially with a dish as delicious as this one. But he was merely picking at his food, swirling strands of the pasta around in the marinara sauce, his face averted downward.  His previous happy mood had evaporated, and the previous crestfallen expression had returned.  She didn't have to be an expert in psychology to know what - or who - her son was thinking about.  She glanced over at their hostess, who was returning to their table with a pitcher of tea and some of the lemon bars she had mentioned earlier that were one of Vic's favorite desserts. 

 

 

"Debbie, that was an amazing lunch," Jennifer commented as the other woman beamed in response to her compliment.  "And you're right. Your cooking puts a drive-through hamburger to shame." 

 

 

"I'm glad you liked it," Debbie told her.  "Try one of my lemon bars," she encouraged her, placing a china plate of them down in the center of the table.  "More sweet tea?  I can fix you some coffee if you like." 

 

 

"No...thank you, Debbie," Craig spoke up, peering over at his son.  He, too, had noticed that Justin had reverted back to his previous state.  "We really do have to get going, or it will be dark before we can get home.  I'd rather get back while it's still light out.  Too many chances of running into a deer on the roads.  Even a cow where _we_ live.  You'd be surprised how many get loose out in the country." 

 

 

"Craig's right," Jennifer told her regretfully as both of them scooted back from their chairs.  "We really do need to get back." Justin peered up at her then as she stood up. She had been dreading this moment; it would be the first time she had been separated for any length of time from Justin, and while she had vowed not to be one of those intrusive, 'helicopter' parents, she suddenly felt overwhelmed that soon she would have to say goodbye to her youngest son.  How had time flown by so quickly?  When did Justin become a man?  In some ways, he was more mature and adult than his older brother, and perhaps he always _would_ be. 

 

 

She turned to face her son, who had pushed back from his own chair.  "Justin?  Walk us out to the truck?"  He nodded as she reached to grip his shoulder and walked with him a little behind Craig toward the front door, each step one moment closer to the inevitable.  For just a flicker in time, she questioned if this was the right move for Justin.  He had never really been away from home, he felt comfortable on the farm...and he was in love.  Or so he thought.  Deep down, she believed it. She had seen her son and Brian together enough to recognize love.  It was clearly something more than a passing infatuation.  But would it stand the test of time?  She didn't know.  But she did know this was Justin's dream. It had been for a long time, and that while he was a very tenderhearted person and still so very young, she also knew that he was intelligent, inquisitive, and self-sufficient.  He would manage here on his own.  He also had Debbie's help and guidance as he adjusted to his new world.  It was their turn to let him go.  To let him see what a difference he could make in this world. And she had no doubt that he would.

 

 

As they walked down the steps - Debbie eying them curiously from the porch - they huddled near the truck, each one unclear what to do or say.  They all knew what had to be done. But until now, each hadn't realized how very hard it would be.

 

 

For Craig, it was perhaps a little easier.  While Debbie was eccentric, by now he had decided she was well-intentioned and harmless, despite her salty language.  And his son's room - once they had moved in what he wanted from the trailer - was quite roomy, and now looked more like Justin's room back home. The corner with the light streaming in would be perfect for him to further enhance his art skills.  He could see his son curled up on the window seat, too, sketching or doing his homework.  Perhaps reading a book.  He would miss his son terribly.  But he had been raised to 'be a man;' to hold his emotions in check. To be the strong one.  And he would be - for Jennifer's sake.  Only in the confines of the farm - when he was alone - would he truly allow himself to feel the loss of his son's company, and to openly consider his worry for him.  For now, however, it was more important he support his wife.  He reached to grasp his son's hand in a handshake.  "Don't forget to stay in touch with us on a regular basis, Justin."  His son nodded as he added more softly, "I'm sure you'll make us proud."  He paused for a moment before he corrected himself.  "You have always made us proud." 

 

 

Justin's eyes teared up; it wasn't often that his father expressed such things.  He tugged on his father's hand until he fell into an embrace with him, feeling his father's arms slide around his back to hold him close; it was much like he had done when he had been a child and had scraped his knee from falling off a horse, or he had come crying into the barn when a bull had scared him.  It had been a long time since his father had held him this way; but as he closed his eyes, all the good memories came flooding back, and he blinked back tears and swallowed to try and compose himself. 

 

 

Finally, father and son pulled away as Justin nodded, receiving a similar nod from his father.  "Have a safe drive home, Dad," he murmured as Craig opened the truck's driver's side door and slid inside, rolling down the window as he waited for Jennifer to say goodbye to their son.  "Jen...we have to go," he entreated her, mindful of the late afternoon sun beginning to wane.  

 

 

She nodded at her husband before she turned to face her son.  "I...I knew this wasn't going to be easy," she whispered in a choked up voice.  She bit her upper lip to try and quell the tears that began to fall, but it was useless.  "Oh, Honey, I'm going to miss you so much!" she cried out as she pulled him into a hug of her own, holding him tightly against her body.  The two just stood there for several moments, neither talking as they continued to embrace.  She could hear her son sniffling as she finally raised her head to peer into his tear-stained face.  She forced a smile on her own face as she whispered, "You will have the best experience of your life here, Justin!  And the things you will accomplish...Craig is right. We ARE proud of you."  She reached up to brush some tears away from his cheeks as she added, "And we love you so very much." 

 

 

Justin pressed his lips tightly together to try and stop the tears, the stabbing feeling in his throat even more pronounced now.  "I love you, too, Mom."  He looked over at his father as he clarified, feeling a little awkward, "Both of you."  He had been taught over the years that a man didn't so openly express his emotions, but he felt they needed to know that, whether it was 'manly' or not. 

 

 

"Please, though, Sweetheart.  Promise both of us that you will take the necessary precautions to stay safe here.  And we expect regular contact. Every day."

 

 

"Mom..." Justin groaned.  "I'm not some little kid; I'll be fine."  He glanced up at the porch to see Debbie now rocking back and forth on her swing; unfortunately, that only reminded him of all the times he and Brian had done the same exact thing...while their hands and their lips were fully occupied.  He shook his slightly in an attempt to try and remove that image from his mind, but he knew he would never, _could_ never forget Brian.  _Brian_.  God, just the name in his mind made his heart ache with longing.  How was he ever going to get through this without Brian?  And without him here, all of this was only half the adventure it should be.  And now he had to say goodbye to his mother and father, too.  He was looking forward to what lay ahead in some ways. But he was also sad.  And suddenly feeling very alone. 

 

 

He took a deep, shuddery breath and let it out before turning his head to stare into his mom's eyes.  "But I am going to miss you, Mom," he told her softly, smiling as he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.  . 

 

 

With great reluctance, Jennifer dropped her hands to her side, knowing she had to let go - not only physically, but also emotionally.  "Well...we're going to go now," she told him, pasting a smile she didn't really feel on her face. "You be careful. And...And we expect you to be home for Thanksgiving. No arguments." Justin smiled faintly, nodding his head.  To Jennifer, it felt like an eternity to her at the moment before that holiday would arrive.  "But don't think we won't be back to visit before then," she corrected herself, a stern look on her face.  "You won't get rid of us that easily, mister." 

 

 

"I didn't think so," he told her wryly.  He knew his mother, especially, wouldn't be content to just stay away until he could make it home for Thanksgiving break.  He didn't want to admit it to his mom, but silently he was glad.  He wanted some autonomy. But he didn't want to cut ties altogether with his parents or his previous life while he adjusted to his new one here.  His new life without Brian.  "Mom, go on home," he urged her softly.  "I...I think I could use some time alone now to get situated." 

 

 

Jennifer tried to understand the emotions that must be swirling through her son's mind.  She wouldn't pretend to know what he was feeling. But she knew there would be an adjustment period for all of them.  Standing still for a few moments longer as if she were memorizing her youngest son's features, she finally turned and walked around to the other side of the pickup truck to open the passenger door and slide inside besides Craig.

 

 

Justin stepped back slightly from the curb as both parents peered over at him one last time.  They both waved at him as Justin did the same, forcing another small smile of assurance on his face.  "Bye," he called out to them.  "Call me when you get home so I know you got home okay." 

 

 

"We're the parents, remember?" Jennifer teased him as Justin couldn't help grinning.  "We will," she promised him, and with one, final look at their son, Craig put the truck in gear as they slowly pulled away from the curb with the trailer in tow.  Justin stood there until they were out of sight, before he finally turned and trudged back up the steps to the porch where Debbie was now standing, waiting for him. 

 

 

She offered him a sympathetic smile, reaching to place her hand around his shoulders.  "You'll be just fine, Kiddo," she told Justin.  "I'll take good care of you...or Vic will have my balls...if I had any balls," she quipped with a chuckle, producing a small smile from her tenant.  "Why don't you go upstairs now and rest for a while?  I imagine you're kind of tired after your trip.  There'll be plenty of time to unpack some more of your boxes later."

 

 

Justin nodded as he allowed Debbie to lead him back into the house; she gave his shoulder a supportive squeeze before he climbed the wooden steps alone and headed toward his room.  As he opened the door and walked inside, he shuffled over to the bed and sat down on the side of it, emotionally drained as well as physically weary.  Within minutes, he was sound asleep, his dreams concentrated upon a certain, tall, handsome boy located hundreds of miles away. 

 

* * *

 

_One Week Later...Walker Farm_

 

 

Will shook his head at the breakfast table as he gazed at the check he was holding in his hands.  "Unbelievable," he mumbled.  "Twenty thousand dollars for a stud fee for one horse?"  When Vic had approached him with the idea of allowing his friend to use True Blue for breeding purposes, he never in his most vivid of imaginations would have thought he would pay such a large amount for that privilege.  But Vic could be quite persuasive when he wanted to be - and when he believed in something - and despite the man being Vic's old sulky racing buddy, he still pulled no punches when it came to demanding a high, but fair stud fee.  In addition, the man had agreed to practice frequently with the horse with the goal of eventually placing him back on the horseracing circuit, claiming his own son would be the perfect sulky driver for him.  That remained to be seen, but Will couldn't deny that the check he currently peered at would help to keep the farm running for some time - and allow for some repairs as well.

 

 

Brian had insisted on helping with some initial, more urgent repairs, such as having a new roof placed on the house, and repairing a leaking water line in the kitchen.  But Will - being as proud as he was - had denied him the ability to help any further financially, feeling that between the stud fees they would receive, and a cut eventually of whatever winning fees True Blue would accrue, they would be able to comfortably afford to properly maintain their home at last.  Since Dale had died, he had allowed the farm to deteriorate.  Nothing had really seemed to matter back then; he had been in way too much pain to even consider making the needed improvements to their home.

 

 

But now - thanks in no small part to their nephew, who had breathed new life into the farm - he felt the desire to make a number of much-needed improvements, and Sarah was wholeheartedly in support of it.  In addition, he had decided to assist with some of the improvements himself - along with Brian, who had proven to be a wiz at repairing a lot of things, not just his tractor - and he had found himself enjoying the time he had spent with him, and afterward, he had felt a vast sense of achievement.  It reminded him a lot of the times he had spent with Dale, so it was bittersweet. 

 

 

Sarah took her place next to him, setting a basket of freshly baked biscuits in the center of the table.  "It is amazing," she admitted.  "I had no idea that a horse's...uh..."  Her face turned red as she thought of the correct word.  "That the thought of someone's...offspring could be that valuable," she finally stated.  She peered over at her nephew, who had been noticeably quiet.  At least that last sentence had produced a slight smile of amusement from him, she noticed.  But since Justin had left a week ago, he had not had much to say. He did whatever they asked of him with little protest. But his mood was substantially subdued nowadays.  Her heart ached for him, because she knew how much he missed Justin. Each time Brian checked his email and received the same result (no response), she never had to ask him what his email said (or didn't say); the look of desolation and disappointment on his face told her all she needed to know, and it broke her heart just a little more for him.  "Brian?  A biscuit?  They're still warm." 

 

 

Brian shook his head as she held the basket out toward him.  "No, thanks, Aunt Sarah.  I'm not hungry."  He placed his napkin onto the table before continuing.  "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to run upstairs and grab my work gloves.  I forgot them earlier, and I know you want to work on the chicken coop today," he told his uncle.

 

 

"Haven't even had my second cup of coffee, Brian," his uncle grumbled.  "No big hurry.  Sit down for a spell and eat a little more."  He studied his surly nephew.  "You're getting too skinny, boy.  You need to eat more!" 

 

 

Brian abruptly pushed back from his chair, startling both his aunt and uncle.  "I am NOT a 'Boy!'" he shouted at his uncle.  "And I will choose what I do or do not eat!"  Shoving his wooden chair away from his body almost violently, he stood there for a few seconds, shaking with anger and running his hand through his hair in agitation until he let out a deep breath to try and calm down.

 

 

"We're not your enemy, Honey," Sarah gently reminded him.  "You know your uncle meant nothing by it. He's only concerned about you.  And so am I."  She studied the somber-looking young man with his eyes cast downward, knowing he regretted what he had just done.  "Brian," she began softly.  "Do you think Justin would want to see you like this?" 

 

 

Brian's head jerked upward at the sound of the other boy's name.  He opened his mouth - initially considering a snappy, resentful retort - before he realized that wasn't what he really wanted to do.  He sighed heavily, shaking his head.  "No," he conceded in a hoarse voice.  "But I miss him so damn much, Aunt Sarah." 

 

 

Sarah exchanged a look with her husband as she scooted back from her seat to walk over to face him.  She knew that the two boys had been exchanging tons of emails and calls since Justin had left, but she also knew it would never be enough for their nephew - nor would it ever replace seeing him in person.  She knew he missed the other boy terribly. "I know you do.  I miss him, too.  He's always brought such brightness with that smile of his - ever since he was just a small boy - and with his optimism.  But both you and I know that Justin wouldn't have been happy here as a sulky driver for the rest of his life.  I know he must miss you every bit as much as you miss him.  But you also loved him enough to let him go for a while.  And he will keep loving you, even while you're apart." 

 

 

Brian sniffled, biting his lips as he struggled to prevent his emotions from overtaking him.  "You're just saying that to make me feel better," he maintained.  "Justin will find someone else eventually...and I'll be left behind." 

 

 

"Now I don't want to hear another word like that come out of your mouth, Brian Kinney," Will unexpectedly interrupted them as he set his coffee cup down with a slight bang, part of the contents sloshing out and landing on the tablecloth.  "That boy loves you with every fiber of his being. Any durn fool can see that. I know love when I see it. And you have it, and it's real. As real..." he struggled then for the right words; after all, this was not his normal topic of conversation, but he decided he was going to say it anyway; emotions be damned.  "...as real as the love between Missy here and me.  So give the boy some credit, Brian.  I don't ever want to hear any more foolishness like that again; do you understand me?"  He arched an eyebrow sternly at his nephew, who stared back at him sheepishly.

 

 

"Yes, Sir. I understand," he told him politely this time, his demeanor much different now. 

 

 

Will nodded as Sarah grinned, deciding she didn't need to say anything else herself.  Will had pretty much said it all.  "Good.  I'm glad that's settled.  Well, then...you'd best be getting those gloves.  That wire will cut right through your skin if you're not wearing protection." 

 

 

Brian nodded back at him before turning around and heading down the hallway toward the steps.  He paused at the bottom of them, wondering what had just happened here, before he shook his head and began his way upstairs. 

 

 

Heading into his room, he grabbed his gloves off the dresser and turned to go; spying his laptop over on the desk, he felt the urge to go over and check his email - again.  He had to stop doing this to himself, he thought.  But he couldn't help it.  Bringing the computer out of 'sleep' mode, he logged in and clicked on his inbox to check his mail. 

 

* * *

_A Few Minutes Later..._

"Aunt Sarah! Uncle Will!  Get up here!  Quick!" 

 

 

"What in the tarnation?" Will responded with concern. He could tell by Brian's voice that something had happened.  "What now?" he asked Sarah, who merely shrugged. Both rushed down the hallway and hurried up the stairs to see what was wrong. 

 

 

"Brian!  What is it?" Sarah shouted as they reached the top of the steps.

 

 

"Hurry!" Brian yelled.  "Oh, shit!" he cried out in shock, not even thinking about the words coming out of his mouth.  He was too busy staring at the computer screen to make sure he wasn't dreaming what he was reading. But to his relief, the words didn't change. Nor did the ramifications of what it meant.

 

 

Will frowned briefly over the use of Brian's choice of vocabulary, but his consternation disappeared the moment he and Sarah reached their nephew's bedroom.  One look at Brian's face - and they knew exactly why he had called them upstairs. 

 

Sarah smiled in reaction to the ecstatic look on her nephew's face, her heart soaring but aching at the same time. 

 

* * *

 

_Walker Farm - Evening_

_  
_

Standing under the porch lights, Sarah watched her husband and nephew haul the reminder of what Brian was taking to Vanderbilt into the back of the small U-Hail trailer, the metal gleaming underneath the security lamp overhead that had just come on, signaling the beginning of darkness.  Brian wasn't taking much; Vic had told them that the room came furnished, so there wasn't much point. But there _was_ one important thing he was taking with him:  her heart.  Now she realized how Brian must have felt a week ago when Justin was getting ready to leave. 

Once Brian had received notice of his acceptance to Vanderbilt, he had accomplished seemingly impossible things in record time. There was no waiting a day to depart; the boy had been determined to leave today, and she knew when Brian set his mind on doing something, there was nothing that would stop him.  He had convinced his uncle to drive him into town to help find him a reliable, used SUV that he had purchased for cash after stopping at the local bank...and had gotten it licensed and insured in record time with the help of the dealer he bought it from - along with a generous 'bonus' for doing so.

 

 

Once he had accomplished that, he had wasted no time returning, flinging the doors and trunk of the SUV open as soon as he returned, and throwing the things he wanted to take with him inside like a man possessed.  It engendered all sorts of emotions inside Sarah as she watched him:  happiness for this young man who would soon be reunited with the boy he loved so deeply, pride over what he had accomplished during the time he had been here, gratitude for the changes he had produced in Will...but also sadness.  Sadness that she wouldn't get to see his face each morning at breakfast, or watch him tinkering on one of his uncle's cranky, uncooperative pieces of farm equipment, which had been both practical but also soothing for her husband, who had felt Dale's death even more deeply than she. 

 

 

Speaking of Will - who was presently helping Brian lift a heavy box into the SUV - she knew he likely wouldn't say it out loud, but she knew he would miss Brian's presence most of all.  Brian had promised he would come back and visit frequently, however, on his breaks - along with Justin, of course.  The depressed, sullen young man who had resided with them this past week had been totally transformed now - simply with the click of a mouse button. 

 

 

She watched as the doors to the SUV slammed shut with a resounding clang as Will and Brian turned and headed up the walkway together, Will's hand resting on Brian's shoulder.  It was a simple gesture, but spoke volumes to Sarah.  She forced herself to place a smile on her face as she asked her nephew, "Are you sure you have everything, Brian?"

 

 

Brian nodded, his voice animated as he replied, "I think so. If I don't, I'll either pick it up in town, or have it delivered to me."   He stood there, listening to the familiar sounds of the farm he had grown to love for the past couple of years, and gazed at his aunt and uncle, who were now standing side-by-side.  His eyes watered as he told them, "I can never thank you enough for everything you've done for me."  He swallowed, choked up.  "I'm going to miss your homemade pies and biscuits, Aunt Sarah," he told her, trying to lighten the mood.

 

 

She smiled.  "I'll be sure to make them for breakfast the first day you come back home."  And she knew it really _was_ home to Brian. 

 

 

He nodded, turning his attention then to his uncle; his gruff, no-nonsense, wonderful uncle.  "Keep those machines oiled until I get back home, Uncle Will," he told him.  "And don't forget to feed Solomon - but not those chicken bones. They'll splinter, and get caught in his throat.  He likes Aunt Sarah's ham bones the best."  He had no idea where the dog even was at the moment. But damn, he was even going to miss that pooch, too. 

 

 

Will nodded, knowing what Brian was really trying to say.  What he was trying to say himself, but couldn't quite accomplish.  "I will," he told him softly.  "I'll expect you to give them a good looking over the first day you get back." 

 

 

Brian smiled with a nod of his own, looking around at the farm, noticing the sun sinking below the horizon as nighttime quickly approached. The night that was always so starry, quiet, and soothing.  He had never thought he would appreciate the simple, uncomplicated nature of this farm. But now that he was leaving it - he was excited, yes, but he was also feeling homesick already.  He forced a smile on his face.  "I'll be back to visit before you know it. And Vic promised he would bring you to visit me soon, too.  And Emmett will help you whenever you need him." 

 

 

Sarah smiled; her nephew was always trying to look out for them - and she loved him for that and so much more.  "It's okay, Brian," she reassured him, sensing he needed to hear that, or he wouldn't be able to leave.  "We will be just fine, right, Will?" 

 

 

Her husband nodded, surprised by how emotional he felt.  It was almost like losing Dale all over again, but he knew it was also much different.  This time, he knew this particular young man would only be gone temporarily. He cleared his throat.  "We country people are very resilient, Brian," he told him firmly, like Sarah knowing it was important for him to reassure his nephew that they would be okay without him.  "Emmett is a good boy.  We'll make out fine.  Sarah and I would be disappointed in you if you _didn't_ go.  You need this.  But whenever you come home...the welcome mat will always be out for you."  He swallowed hard to compose himself and put his stern façade back in place as he counseled his nephew, "I still say it would be best if you would wait until tomorrow when you have better light."  But he knew he was wasting his breath; he realized that nothing would prevent this boy from traveling to Nashville tonight...and seeing Justin. 

 

 

Just as he figured, Brian shook his head stubbornly.  "It's not that dark yet, and it's only a three-hour drive," he pointed out.  "And I have a GPS.  It's a fairly straight shot down there.  I'll be fine.  Vic's already called his sister to let her know I'll be there tonight."

 

 

Will nodded, unsurprised.  "Well, you best get going then.  We expect to know when you get there." 

 

 

"It could be pretty late..."

 

 

"We don't care what time it is," Sarah told him firmly, speaking up.  "Neither one of us will sleep until we know you got there safely.  Promise us, Brian."

 

 

Brian nodded at her fondly, touched by her concern.  "I promise." 

 

 

She nodded back in satisfaction, taking a deep breath and letting it out.  "Well...I guess this is it, then," she told him, trying hard to sound cheerful, even as her heart was aching over their loss. "Tell Justin we expect big things from him.  And don't forget to keep in touch!  We want a daily call or email from you, young man." 

 

 

Brian grinned.  "Yes, Ma'am."  He stood there, shuffling on his feet, as he stared at the two most important people in his life; except for Justin, that is.  How unfair that they couldn't all be in the same place!  But he knew this was part of growing up; part of spreading his wings, and seeing if he could fly.  But that also didn't mean he wouldn't stop missing them.  "I'll never forget what you did for me," he told the couple.  "And you'll never get rid of me, either." 

 

 

 

"We'd better not," his uncle told him gruffly.  "It's hard to find a good machine mechanic around these parts.  Especially one that works so cheap." 

 

 

Brian laughed as he held out his hand toward Will.  "Thank you for everything, Uncle Will.  You'll never know what it meant to me."  He felt a little awkward as he continued to hold out his hand when his uncle didn't reach out to grasp it.

 

 

Suddenly, he was grabbed by the wrist by his uncle, and swept into an embrace instead, his uncle's weathered hands gripping his back firmly.  "Thank you, Brian," he whispered against his ear.  "You'll always be part of this family.  Don't ever forget that."  Will pulled back then, a little embarrassed by his emotional display.  He nodded curtly, releasing him, as Brian turned to face his aunt for one, final farewell.

 

 

She smiled a watery smile at the young man.  "Goodbye, Honey.  We love you.  Come back soon and visit us.  As soon as you can.  We want to hear all about what happens to you."  

 

 

Brian blinked, the tears flowing freely down his face now.  "I will," he assured her, his voice barely above a whisper.  He shook his head - almost convincing himself to change his mind - before he swept the petite woman up into a hug.  "I'm going to miss you so much," he told her.  The two remained hugging for several seconds until at last Brian pulled back from her, reaching over to brush some hair away from her face as Sarah used part of her half-apron to wipe her tears away. 

 

 

Brian leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.  "You're one special lady, Sarah Walker."

 

 

His aunt blushed profusely.  "Brian..." she murmured, batting at him with her hand as if he were a fly.  "Go now," she told him softly.  "Leave before I get too sentimental." 

 

 

"Good luck, Son," Will told his nephew with a nod. And with a final nod of his own, Brian turned and headed down the porch and out to his waiting vehicle, determined not to look back; it was hard enough to leave them. But as he slid behind the driver's wheel, he couldn't help glancing over at the two people who had become his family.  His eyes tearing up, he gave them a small wave and a brave smile before putting the SUV into gear and slowly pulling away.

 

 

His aunt and uncle waved back at him with a similar smile of their own before Brian finally drove out of sight. It was only then that Sarah crumpled into her husband's arms and began to cry softly.  "I'm so happy for Brian," she told Will in between sniffles, as he held her in his arms, and did his best to comfort her.  "But I will miss him.  More than he will ever know."

 

 

Will patted her back soothingly as he slowly rocked her back and forth in his arms.  "He'll know, Missy.  He'll know." 

 

* * *

 

_That Evening - Debbie's House - Midnight_

"Okay, okay!" Debbie groused as she pulled her mint-green chenille robe tighter against her body, cinching it with the tie.  "I'm coming!  Do you know what time it is?"  She sighed irascibly. When her brother had called her earlier today to ask if she had any rooms left, she thought the renter would show up at a decent hour, not in the middle of the night. But she had promised Vic he could have the room, and she needed the extra income it would bring in, so here she was - her natural-color, dark brown hair sticking up in all directions, shuffling toward the front door wearing her fluffy robe and her matching green bunny slippers at an ungodly hour of the night.  Well, she hoped this one didn't expect to unpack all his things tonight. That would have to wait until morning. 

 

 

She flipped on the front porch light and peeked through the curtain, noticing a tall, lanky brunet-haired young man standing there, rocking restlessly back and forth on his feet.  One eyebrow rose in question back at her as she hurriedly yanked the curtains closed, unlocked the deadbolt, and slid the security lock back to open the door.  "You must be Brian." 

 

 

Brian nodded, only half-focused on her; he was too busy craning his neck around to see if Justin by chance was anywhere around. But to his disappointment, all he saw were things stuffed in every nook and cranny of the older house - lots and lots of things. 

 

 

She huffed, a little annoyed that he wasn't giving her his full attention at the moment.  "Where are all your things?" 

 

 

"Out in the SUV," he explained, motioning impatiently toward the vehicle parked out at the curb.  That was the last thing on his mind at the moment. "It's all in there." 

 

 

She nodded.  "Well, come on in before you catch your death of cold!  It's fucking freezing tonight!  What happened to summer?"  She groused, standing back so her newest member of the family could pass beside her. 

 

 

Brian took a perfunctory glance around the kitschy-looking - but comfortable - two-story home.  By the looks of the architecture, it must have been built in the late 19th century, during the Victorian period.  It seemed well-maintained, however, and was rather spacious with its high ceilings, tall windows, and large rooms leading off from both sides of the foyer.  But he didn't see any main-floor bedrooms...or Justin.

 

 

"I'm Debbie, Vic's sister," Debbie verified as Brian nodded silently in understanding.  "Your room is upstairs on the right," she told him.  "Bring anything to sleep in with you?"

 

 

"I don't normally sleep in anything," Brian told her, wanting to get this introduction over with so he could be introduced to something - or in this case, someone - else.  He bestowed a smirk at her. "Does that bother your sensibilities?" 

 

 

Debbie snorted; Vic had warned her about this one, but he also knew she could more than handle the sarcasm.  Besides, her brother had filled her in on what this one was like, so she knew most of it was just a protective façade, sort of like an emotional security blanket.  "In your own room, I don't care if you sleep in your birthday suit, or a clown suit with rubber shoes.  It's late. We can go over all the rules of the house tomorrow," she decided, as Brian frowned at the use of the word 'rules.'  He couldn't help it; it was more or less inbred in him.  "Your things will be safe enough out in the SUV as long as you locked it.  Go on upstairs, and get some sleep. Breakfast's at 8:00 sharp. Don't be late, or you'll be lucky to get a bowl of cereal and some cold coffee." 

 

 

Brian barely gave her a nod before his long legs led him up the steps in record time, making Debbie curious about his over enthusiasm.  Unbeknownst to her, however, Vic had not filled her in one other particular piece of information:  the fact that this tenant knew the other tenant as more than one of the other neighbor's boys - and in what could be called the Biblical sense.  Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and muttered, "Kids," before turning and heading down the first-floor hallway to her own bedroom. 


	40. College Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Justin discovers who his new roommate is as he and Brian begin a new life together. Story Conclusion.

Instead of heading toward his own room on the right, Brian stopped at the landing, feeling his heart thumping in his chest as he turned his head to the left, studying the closed door.  Just the thought of who was behind that door made his palms sweat, and his breath catch.  It had only been a week…but to him it felt like a lifetime.  Rubbing his hands on his jeans and suddenly feeling nervous, he shuffled down the short hallway, the door looming larger and larger and his heart beating more furiously with every step. 

 

 

He reached to turn the polished, metal knob, turning it slowly to open the door and surprised to find his hand shaking slightly in anticipation.  As he peered inside, he noticed the curtains pulled back, the full moon shining a ribbon of light on what had been the subject of his constant dreams for the past week:  a slim young man, lying on his side, facing away from him.  Justin's knees were bent slightly, and he was clutching a familiar object in his hands, which caused Brian's heart to warm, and a smile to break out on his face:  it was Checkers, the stuffed animal he had won for Justin back at the county fair.  That seemed like such a long time ago now…but it brought back such happy memories of their time together that night.  Justin was wearing a pair of light sleep pants, but his chest was bare, and as he stood there observing him, Brian could almost feel the smoothness and warmth he knew he would find if he were to caress his shoulder. 

 

 

Stepping further inside, he took a moment to turn and softly close the door, twisting the lock on the doorknob to ensure their privacy, before creeping forward slowly, almost as if he were afraid this would all be a dream.  But to his relief, Justin remained there in his sight, and now he could see the regular rising and rhythmic falling of his chest.  Brian's eyes drunk in the sight he had been longing to see for the past week as he unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged it off his shoulders to let it drop to the hardwood floor beside the bed.  Unzipping his jeans, he toed off his shoes and pulled them down his long legs to step out of them and remove his socks before leaning over the bed, taking a few moments to just stare at him – every part of him; every beautiful inch of him.  Gingerly sliding into bed behind Justin, he scooted over, just enough until his body was touching the other boy's, his heart soaring into flight as he felt his skin against his, and breathed in the familiar smell of Justin's hair, his skin… _him_.  Spooning up closer against Justin, he heard the other boy sigh in his sleep and thought he heard him murmur his name between his lips before he slid his arm around the slim waist, smiling as Justin instinctively pressed closer back against him, still clutching that damn cow in his arms.  

 

 

Finding himself more exhausted than he thought he would be, he fought against falling asleep just yet, but found himself unable to prevent it. His eyes fluttered open and shut a few times before he, too, joined his lover in slumber, knowing at last that this was not a dream; it was real. Thank God it was real.  And he would never be apart from this boy ever again. 

 

 

_The Next Morning…8:10 a.m._

Just like he had for the past week, Justin awoke to the sound of Debbie calling him to come down to breakfast; but no matter how many times she tried to have him downstairs precisely at 8:00 a.m. like she wanted, he just couldn't seem to make it.  It was always closer to 8:30 a.m. before he was able to shower, get dressed, and emerge downstairs. 

 

Last night, he had experienced a vivid dream – the most vivid and realistic dream of all since he had been separated from Brian.  It had been so real, it was like he could actually feel Brian's strong arms surrounding him as he cradled his body, and his warm breath washing over his skin as he breathed in and out on his neck.  He could even imagine he smelled his unique scent, and his body pressed against his from head to toe.  When he had first gone up to bed, it had been extremely difficult for him to fall asleep, caused mainly by the fact that for some reason Brian wasn't answering his texts, emails, or calls.  Each night before they went to sleep, they spent a long time just lying in bed, imagining they were together, discussing how their day had gone, and what they had done.  Sometimes they murmured words of yearning, and whispered endearments that normally resulted in bringing each of them to climax – but not a very satisfying one.  And it always ended with both of them declaring how much they missed each other, and Brian doing his best to encourage him to keep going, reminding him that they would be together again soon, before he would fall into another night of fitful sleep. 

 

Despite Brian's words of reassurance, Thanksgiving break seemed like a lifetime away to Justin.  He knew before he left for school that he would miss him greatly – his lopsided smile, his eyes whose amber pupils darted back and forth side-to-side in concentration when he was speaking about something he was especially passionate about, his tender caresses while they made love, and his protectiveness toward him when he came to his defense, which always made him feel cherished and special.  But the constant ache he felt was nothing like he had imagined it would be – it was ten times worse.  Each day, he questioned if he was doing the right thing.  Deep down, he knew he had to do this; he _wanted_ to do this.  But he also knew he wasn't sure how he would be able to succeed without Brian's presence.

 

"Justin!  Breakfast's getting cold, Sunshine!  Get that bubble butt down here on the double if you want hot food!"

 

Yawning widely and scratching his head, Justin sighed as he slipped on a loose tee-shirt hanging over the back of his desk chair before shuffling in bare feet over to the door and opening it, hearing the familiar sounds below of clanging pots and pans as Debbie puttered around the kitchen like a chicken scratching for food, and what he thought was the murmur of conversation; no doubt Debbie was either muttering to herself as she was often prone to do, or, more likely, she was arguing with that insipid talk show host she always listened to on the radio while she prepared his breakfast.  He never would understand why a person would faithfully listen to someone whose opinions she vehemently disagreed with, but in an odd way he found her scathing rebukes of the conservative talk show host entertaining.  Reaching the steps, he began to head downstairs to start his day – another day filled with unknown and unfamiliar possibilities and opportunities, but also another day without Brian by his side.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Brian grinned over at Debbie as she stood near the eat-in-kitchen's doorway, her hand cupped over her mouth like a megaphone as she yelled at her other tenant to hustle, thinking back upon the last hour, and how things were about to change dramatically.

 

He had awakened in Justin's bed around 7, at first disoriented as to where he was, the room unfamiliar and unknown.  But as he felt the soft, warm bundle he was holding in his arms, his heart lifted to an unbelievable level of euphoria, and his face had broken out into a wide smile of contentment.  He was here; here with Justin once more.

 

He had lain there with a sleeping Justin in his arms for several minutes as he listened to the other boy's even breathing, his emotions battling between his desire to wake up his sleeping lover and then fuck the shit out of him all morning long, or being evil and surprising him at breakfast – followed by a 'different' sort of breakfast in bed afterward.  The thought of seeing Justin's stunned face as he realized he was here, however, finally won out over his initial, more prurient thoughts as he reluctantly and carefully disentangled himself from the younger boy – and the silly, stuffed cow he was still grasping against his chest – and slid off the bed to walk out into the hallway.  

 

Going downstairs long enough to retrieve some items from the SUV, including his clothing, he greeted Debbie who was busily flitting around the kitchen before heading back upstairs to take his shower, grinning the entire time as the hot water sluiced off his body and he grew hard, merely at the thought of soon having Justin in here taking a shower with him.  He was pleasantly surprised to find that the shared guest bathroom had a shower sufficiently big enough for two; he definitely intended on 'sharing' this shower with Justin often, thankful that Debbie had a master bathroom of her own. 

 

Speaking of their landlady, he really wasn't sure about her just yet. He had barely spoken with her last night upon his arrival, but he was hopeful that she would be supportive of his and Justin's relationship. After all, her brother Vic and his nephew Emmett were both gay (Vic had informed him that Debbie had raised Emmett after his single mother had died in childbirth).  The woman was brassy and eccentric – that much he could already tell – but nevertheless he felt this was going to be a good place to live while he and Justin attended college together.

_He and Justin._ _Together._ That had a wonderful sound to it.  He smiled as he stood under the shower's soothing spray, closing his eyes with his head thrown back as he began to stroke himself, imagining soon how it would feel for Justin's hand to be there touching him, loving him, kissing him.  It wasn't nearly as satisfying as the real thing, but it didn't take long for him to reach orgasm, merely at the thought of what was to come. 

 

 

Dressing quickly in his own room a few minutes later – surprised at the high ceilings and how spacious it was; much bigger than a dorm room would ever be – he stole a brief look in the mirror to make sure everything was in place before he turned and headed back down the hallway, craning his neck slightly to make sure that Justin's door was still closed.  He grinned.  _Are YOU about to be surprised, Farm Boy,_ he thought, as he descended down the wide, carpeted steps toward the first floor. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Now, he found that his heart was thumping incredibly fast as he heard the sound of footsteps upstairs, and then the muffled clunk, clunk, clunk of Justin shuffling down the steps; he would normally race down the steps back home when he knew he was out there waiting for him, much like he drove his sulky, Brian recalled with a smile.  He quickly reached for the front page section of the newspaper that Debbie had brought in from the front porch as he heard him approaching, opening it up to some random page as he sat at the kitchen table, holding it up just high enough so Justin couldn't identify him. 

 

 

"'Bout time, Sunshine!" Debbie groused at him as he came ambling closer.  Brian smiled at the nickname; he was surprised he hadn't thought to call him that himself.  It certainly fit, he decided.  "You realize when you have school soon that you won't be able to slough off like this, don't you?" she gently reprimanded him.  "You'd better get into a regular routine now before school starts." 

 

 

 

Justin sighed and abruptly let forth with a big yawn as he stretched his hands upward; unable to stop himself, Brian risked temporarily lowering the paper a little– just in time to see a bit of pale flesh as Justin's tee shirt rode up from his belly – and making him bite back a groan of desire in reaction.  He swallowed hard at the sight, anticipation growing by leaps and bounds...along with something else he couldn't control, which was getting hard just from the sight of him.  

 

 

"Well, come and say hello to my other house guest," Debbie told him as Justin came closer, curious to know what his new roommate would look like, and hoping that they could be friends.  "He got in late last night.  I believe that you already know…" Debbie didn't get the rest of the sentence out, though; that became unnecessary, as soon as Brian put the paper down beside him and stared over at Justin nonchalantly, one eyebrow raised as he smiled back at him, his identity now revealed.

 

 

"…Brian!"  Justin screeched in disbelief, his eyes growing wide as saucers.  His mouth hung open in shock; he was too stunned to move as he stared over at the other boy, thinking he must be dreaming again.  He shook his head back and forth, much like Solomon would after a bath – or more likely, a dog paddle in the swimming hole.  "No….no…" he mumbled.  "This isn't real.  This isn't real," he kept repeating…all the while as 'his mirage' pushed back from his chair, retrieving something he had brought down with him and had placed in his lap as he rose to stand, noticing Debbie watching them curiously from her place at the stove as if she weren't surprised at all. 

 

 

Justin frowned; well, that scraping sound as the other tenant scooted back from his chair sounded real enough; he had to have heard that clearly...right?  He watched as the other boy who looked just like Brian smirked at him before he ambled closer, and Justin got a good whiff of the familiar scent of Brian's aftershave he always wore.  Clutched in the other boy's right hand was a red, leather book…one that he had been keeping on his night dresser, right next to his bed.  One that held a special significance to him.  One that he treasured and looked at each night.  "No…" he whispered, finding it too hard to believe. It was too good to be true.  But that book didn't just appear out of nowhere.  With startling clarity, he realized that last night had NOT been a dream after all. 

 

 

Brian smiled.  "I believe this belongs to you?" he asked him as he somehow managed to get a nod back in response.

 

 

"Yes," Justin whispered back, reaching out his hand toward the book…only to have his concentration temporarily broken when Debbie interrupted them. 

 

 

"You two…you're not just friends, are you?" she accused them, both hands on her hip as she clutched her spatula in indignation. Of course, she knew already that was a stupid question. One look at the rapturous, love-struck expressions on both their faces, and the question became unnecessary. 

 

 

Justin was too shocked to make any acknowledgement in response to Debbie's question; but Brian managed a nod of his head, his eyes never leaving Justin's, as he reassured him, "I'm real, all right. Come closer…and I'll prove it to you," he urged, his voice smoky and deep.  It was his ' _let's kiss and have sex_ ' voice, and it made an immediate impact on his lover.

 

 

Justin's heart felt like it would explode any moment before he tentatively reached his hand out toward Brian a little further – and gasped when he felt Brian's hand firmly gripping his back as he pulled him into his arms.  He placed his hands palms down on Brian's chest, his face threatening to crack from the radiant smile he was now wearing, as he exclaimed in wonder, "You really ARE here!  You're really here!"  He slid his hands to lock them behind Brian's neck and immediately pulled his head down to kiss the lips that he had been craving since the second he had left.  He felt Brian's chuckle against his mouth before the other boy obligingly opened his lips enough for both of them to deepen the kiss, their tongues dueling as Brian cradled Justin's head in his large hands and both tried to swallow each other whole. 

 

 

Standing over her skillet full of scrambled eggs, Debbie's eyes widened and her eyebrows rose over the X-rated display before she snorted.  "Well, I guess that answers _that_ question," she deadpanned wryly.  "Uhh…You two lovebirds over there….I have eggs about to burn here…"  She shook her head in amusement as she was totally ignored, moving the pan over to another burner as she turned to face them again.  Smirking, she took the metal spatula and rapped it sharply against her antique, cast-iron stove, creating a rattle that would wake the dead – or in this case, hopefully pry the two lovers apart.  "Damn Vic," she muttered, shaking her head again.  "I should have known.  Wait until I talk to you next time."  She banged the spatula a couple more times even harder than before until, at last, the two boys reluctantly pulled apart somewhat, panting and breathless, and both sporting identical, goofy grins. 

 

 

"Come over here and get some breakfast," she ordered them.  "I told you," she added, pointing her spatula directly at Brian.  "Cold cereal." 

 

 

Still loosely in each other's arms, Justin frowned as Brian grinned back at her.  Right now, he could care less about scrambled eggs.  "Uhh…I'm not hungry," he told her, still staring over at Justin as he answered.

 

 

"Bullshit," she replied in a stern voice.  "Everyone has to start out the day with a good breakfast." 

 

 

"Oh, I couldn't agree more," Brian told her, one side of his mouth quirking upward and leaving no question as to what exactly he meant and making Justin promptly blush. 

 

 

Debbie sighed heavily.  "Look, you two!  I just spent a fucking _hour_ fixing both of you a hot, home-cooked breakfast, including my famous biscuits and gravy!  Don't you dare tell me that you're not hungry!  Now get your asses over here and eat!"

 

 

Brian couldn't help laughing as Justin grinned. "Yes, Ma'am," he responded dutifully, leading Justin by the hand over to the kitchen table; if it was up to HIM, he would have pulled the other boy into his lap to enjoy his breakfast a little more, but he sensed that their landlady wouldn't look too kindly on that at the moment.  Instead, Justin sat down next to him as he urged him, "Come on… _Sunshine_.  She's right. You need to eat; you're going to need some energy for what I have in mind for you later." 

 

 

Debbie rolled her eyes and looked upward before sighing.  "Vic, what have you gotten me into?" She turned her attention back to her two houseguests.  "Sit," she ordered them like they were a couple of canines in obedience school; she grinned as both did as they were told, noticing them grasping hands under the table and sitting way closer than necessary.  "Lovebirds," she muttered as she retrieved the scrambled eggs and walked back over to slide some onto both boys' plates.  Retrieving a platter of bacon and the homemade biscuits along with a bowl of sausage gravy, she walked back over and placed it in the middle of the table, taking a seat across from the other two.  She noticed Brian wrinkling his nose at the huge bowl of gravy, while Justin's eyes lit up at the sight. "You'll like it, and you'll eat every bit of it on your plate," she told Brian. She concealed an evil smile as she intoned, "Now let's say grace."  She glared over at Brian when he left forth with a sort of snort in response.  "Quiet!" 

 

 

He gave her a _'who, me?_ ' sort of look as she bowed her head and began her prayer.  Even though she was and always would be a good Catholic, it wasn't normally her style to say grace before meals, but in this particular case she decided a little tormenting was in order.  "Lord, we thank you for what we are about to eat. Please watch over us, and keep us safe from harm.  And please make my newest tenant wait until I'm done with my prayer before he cops a feel under the kitchen table. Amen." 

 

 

Brian quickly snatched his hand back away from Justin's crotch as she lifted her head up and gave him a sweet smile.  _How in the world did she know he was doing that?_   "You're good," he admitted as she grinned smugly. 

 

 

"Eat first. Fuck second," she told him as Justin's eyes widened in shock that she had figured that out, glancing over at a scowling Brian, who reluctantly picked up his fork and took a stab of scrambled egg.   Justin found it hard to keep from laughing before he, too, dove into his food with relish, cutting up his bacon before he managed to grab a chunk of scrambled egg and slide it into his mouth, making an 'mmm' sound that made Brian want to eat his breakfast at lightning speed. 

 

 

He watched in shock as Justin operated on his breakfast like he was a vacuum cleaner, vocally expressing his appreciation for Debbie's cooking with every bite and making Brian hard as steel.  _Damn it._ By the time he had eaten his piece of toast and a few bites of egg, Justin has polished off every bit of food on his plate, and Brian was raring to head upstairs.  He was amused by his lover's gusto for food, but he was also silently elated, because now they could get reacquainted the right way…away from a certain redhead's prying eyes.  He made a pretense of groaning loudly and clutching his stomach as he proclaimed, "I'm stuffed.  I couldn't eat another bite."

  
 

"Uh, huh," Debbie commented dryly, watching the two fucking each other with their eyes from her place at the table. The next time she talked with her brother, she would let him have it for not informing her that these two neighbor boys who were living next to each other on adjacent farms were a lot more acquainted with each other than he had let on.  _Yeah…right._   _These two had it bad,_ she decided as she continued to watch them totally ignore her; she figured she had prolonged their agony long enough.  She cleared her throat as she noticed the two boys stealing another kiss when they thought she wasn't watching.  "Well…I'd better get the dishes washed.  And then I must have an appointment to go to…somewhere…or some dry cleaning to pick up…or a PFLAG meeting to attend…or some weeding to do outside.  So…you'll be on your own this morning."  She figured she'd rather not hear what she suspected would be quite vocal sounds coming (emphasis on the word 'coming') soon from one of their bedrooms.  

 

 

"Yeah…fine," Brian murmured absentmindedly, as she stood up and scooted back from her chair, picking up her plate, silverware, and coffee cup. 

 

 

She rolled her eyes. Were they listening to anything she said? "But first I'll just go dig up that body I buried in the backyard, then." 

 

 

"Okay," Justin responded agreeably with a nod, his eyes never leaving Brian's.  He had no idea what Debbie had just said, but he really wasn't concerned about that; he was too busy staring at Brian, for fear he might disappear somehow. 

 

 

Debbie watched in amusement. ”Vic, you are _so_ going to get yours, Mister," she grumbled good-naturedly with a shake of her head. 

 

 

"Let's go," Brian urged his lover impatiently as he scooted back from his chair and pulled on Justin's hand.  Justin had barely enough time to grab the last bite of his bacon strip, throw it in his mouth, and push his own seat back before he was unceremoniously forced to stand up. 

 

 

Brian groaned as Justin unexpectedly resisted moving.  "Justin…" he protested in dismay. 

 

 

"Debbie, you want some help?" Justin asked, unable to let his manners of etiquette go, despite his racing pulse and a hard-on quickly appearing.  He couldn't wait to get upstairs, too. 

 

 

To Brian's enormous relief, Debbie shook her head.  "No, Sunshine.   I'll be fine.  You go on…and help Brian 'unpack.'"  She knew that was the last thing on either of the boys' minds as a sudden thought occurred to her: perhaps she could fit _three_ tenants into her home this time. Something told her one of these boys' bedrooms may not be needed.  "Uh, aren't you going to go get the rest of your things, Brian?" she asked slyly, knowing the response she would get.

 

 

"Later," Brian answered, before gripping Justin's hand tightly and practically running to the staircase he as urgently pulled Justin up the steps with him as the other boy laughed. 

 

 

Debbie grinned before placing the other soiled dishes and silverware into the sink; she decided that washing them could wait.  Walking back out toward the front door, she grabbed her sweater from the hall closet along with her purse, hearing laughter from upstairs, followed by silence, before opening the door and heading outside. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

"Brian, slow down!" Justin pleaded, almost having to trot like Headstrong just to keep up.  "I'm not a horse! I race one, remember?"  The wind was promptly knocked out of him as Brian spun around abruptly and slammed them together, chest-to-chest.  Plastering a short but passionate kiss on Justin that left him somewhat dazed, Brian replied, "Don't care; we have a lot of time to make up for!" 

 

 

Justin laughed as he was hauled into his room and was twirled around like a ballerina as Brian kicked the door shut with a resounding bang.  Brian reached over to immediately begin grabbing at Justin's tee shirt to try and tug it off him.  "Off," he demanded as Justin giggled over his 'he-man' behavior.  "Now." 

 

 

He held his hands up just long enough for Brian to accomplish what he wanted, shivering slightly with the sudden chill in the room before Brian went to work on his jeans, unbuttoning the fly in record time as he used Justin's waistband to pull him toward the bed.  "Fuck, I want you," he growled as Justin blushed. 

 

 

"Brian…Brian, wait!" Justin cried out as the other boy pressed just enough on his chest to push him onto the bed, his ass bouncing as he sat on the edge.  "Explain how you got here!" 

 

 

"I drove," was the simple response, as Brian pulled frantically at Justin's shoes and socks to remove them before lowering his now-unzipped jeans down the slim legs until Justin was completely barren of clothing in record time.  "Scoot up in the bed," he commanded softly.

 

 

Justin's eyes bored into his as he nodded, doing as Brian asked until his head was resting on one of the bed's pillows. 

 

 

Brian couldn't help licking his lips at the sight before him.  Until that moment, he thought he had known the depth of longing he had felt over Justin's absence. But now he realized just how much he had miscalculated.  "We can talk later," Brian told him huskily as he began to remove his own clothing with dispatch, his yearning to be skin-on-skin with Justin almost too intense to handle.  Finally shorn of all his clothing and his cock jutting out proudly in arousal, Justin's eyes darkened as Brian swept his gaze down his body and then back up, noting the other boy's cock was in a similar condition.  Standing at the foot of the bed, Brian began to crawl ever-so-slowly up Justin's body, reacquainting himself with every inch of his lover's skin – every hard muscle, every angle, every erogenous zone that left Justin squirming and sighing with pleasure. 

 

 

"Brian," he moaned as their cocks rubbed together.  "I've missed you.  Oh, God, I've missed you so much."  He grabbed ahold of Brian's head and literally dragged him upward until their lips could meet, unable to control himself from kissing the lips again of the boy he had spent countless hours dreaming of – and yearning for.  Lying directly on top of the younger boy, Brian smiled against Justin's mouth before he licked Justin's bottom lip and his tongue was allowed inside to taste him.  Hands began to roam everywhere they could reach until Brian broke off their kiss, his breathing rapid and shallow as he gazed into the azure blue eyes.  "Condom," he managed to somehow say in between breaths. 

 

 

"Drawer," Justin choked out somehow, his chest heaving and his cock throbbing for attention.  What he had fantasized about for the past week was finally about to come true, to be real.  He had so many questions he had yet to have answered, like how this all happened, but right now he didn't care. All he cared about was having this man inside him, joining with him, filling him.  Blindly he stretched his hand out toward the small, nightstand drawer next to the bed, but was unable to quite reach it, causing him to groan in frustration. 

 

 

"Easy, Farm Boy," Brian told him with a grin, easily able to reach the drawer with his right hand, pulling on the small knob to open it and grabbing a condom packet from the drawer, noticing that – thankfully – it was pre-lubricated, because he was not in the mood for a lot of foreplay.  He had to have this boy – _now_.  He laughed as Justin promptly snatched it out of his hand and pulled the condom out, tossing the packet carelessly over the side of the bed.  He wasn't the only impatient one, it seemed.  "Oh, the warden won't like that," he scolded him.  "Littering," he tsked tsked. He sucked in a breath, though, a couple seconds later at the first initial contact of Justin's hand on his cock as he rolled the latex down his shaft, the grip light and teasing, but also sure and determined. 

 

 

 

"Hell with Debbie," he growled out.  "Come on, Brian! Have you forgotten how?" 

 

 

"Oh, you are so going to get it for that, _Sunshine_ ," he told the other boy, trying the name out for the first time. After all, they weren't on the farm any longer, and it _did_ fit, at least when Justin smiled.  Right now, though, the other boy was wearing more of a smug sort of grin, and he was determined to wipe that expression right off his beautiful face.

 

 

"Oh, I remember, all right," he promised him, abruptly making Justin writhe and giggle as he tickled him on the spot only he knew would evoke that response: the sensitive insides of his wrists. 

 

 

"Stop that! Brian!"  Justin attempted to pull out of Brian's grasp, but the older boy was stronger, even though Justin was giving him a noble effort…and making his breath hitch as he wriggled beneath him and pressed their bodies closer together. 

 

 

"It's coming back to me vividly, in fact," Brian assured him as he rose to his knees, grasping Justin's thighs tightly with his hands to urge him to put his legs up on his shoulders.  "And you're about to get a reminder, you tease."  He wanted nothing right then but to line his cock up with what he knew was that tight, inviting hole and ram all the way inside it – such was the intensity of his desire – but he didn't want to hurt the boy he loved that way.  So as he locked gazes with the familiar eyes that were now dark blue with passion – passion for _him_ – it was with enormous restraint that he pressed just the tip of his cock against the puckered service and pushed slightly inside, hearing Justin hiss at the initial intrusion.  He instinctively hesitated as Justin shook his head impatiently. 

 

 

"No…no," he panted out.  "Oh, fuck, Brian!  Don't stop now!" 

 

 

"Justin…"  Just saying the other boy's name aloud again was like music to Brian's ears. But his little 'artiste' would have none of it; just like him, he was much too impatient, and it had been way too long.  Brian gasped as Justin arched his body, grabbed his ass, and forced him deeper inside.   He couldn't help the groan that escaped as he finally revisited the most wondrous place on Earth.  Confident now that Justin didn't want it slow and careful, he smirked.  "Okay, Speed Racer.  I should have known you wanted it fast and hard," he told him, as he slid all the way inside now in one, firm, smooth thrust, watching Justin's eyes darken even more and dilate with pleasure/pain as he let out a vocal cry, uncaring and unheedful of whether or not their landlady was still lurking about. If she was, she was about to get a show – at least with her ears anyway. 

 

 

"Move, damn it!"

 

 

Justin's urgent demand brought Brian's focus back to the subject at hand as he grinned into the indignant, beautiful face of his lover.  Nodding, he pulled back, only to lean in further to force Justin to almost bend in half as he dove back in forcefully until he was balls deep in one, fluid stroke, skin against skin.  "That…that more what you had in mind?" he asked as Justin's breaths came out in rapid puffs between his parted lips and Brian let out a deep moan in response at the hot, tight feeling.  All Justin managed was a breathless nod as Brian pulled back out almost all the way and then repeated the procedure, again and again as they began to rock together, in and out, again and again, Brian hitting the sweet spot deep inside Justin that drove him insane, and in turn made his own cock harden even more at the sounds escaping the younger boy's lips. 

 

 

Justin reached up to grab Brian's head possessively and slam his lips against his, Brian tasting the saltiness of his sweat there, before he began the procedure all over again.  He knew both of them wouldn't last long – it had been much too long since they had been together, even though it had only been a week in actuality – but he also knew this was the first of what would no doubt be a fucking sex marathon, much like the racing heats at the Red Mill.  This, however, was going to be much more of a thrill for him – even more than the euphoria he felt from speeding down the road in a hot rod, or racing True Blue.  Being with Justin – experiencing the ups and downs of what was to come, with the two of them together – would always be the ultimate high for him.  All the rest would just be an added bonus. 

 

 

Lips and hands kissed and caressed as the sweat poured off their bodies now, even as the air between the cracks of the old windows left a slight, cool, early morning breeze escaping into the room; at that moment, nothing and no one else existed in the world but them.  Just as Brian had predicted, only a few more strokes, deep and forceful, were needed before he could feel his body tightening up like a coil, signaling his pending release.  He grunted as he thrust in and out even harder, hearing Justin's cries reaching a crescendo, until – with one particularly powerful push and a couple strokes of his lover's cock – he felt Justin's ass muscles tighten around him before he felt the smaller body jerk.  With one, last loud cry of his name, he felt the hot stream of come coat his body as Justin erupted in climax, promptly bringing himself over the edge as well in one of the most sublime, mind-blowing orgasms he had ever had. 

 

 

Unable to support himself any longer on his elbows, Brian fell heavily onto the other boy, plastered against him in a mixture of skin, sweat, and come, the room thick with the powerful scent.  As he lay there with Justin beneath him, feeling his hands slowly stroking up and down his slick back and his heart beating rapidly along with his – strong and vibrant - he thought life couldn't get any better than this.  At last, he felt like he was where he wanted to be; where he _needed_ to be.

 

 

After a couple of minutes, he could feel Justin wriggling slightly beneath, arousing him with his movements, but also signaling that his body weight was growing too heavy for him.  With great reluctance, he turned and began to withdraw from him, grasping the condom and tying it off before finding a small wastebasket next to the night table and tossing it inside.  Sighing as he flopped over onto his back, the two lay there in companionable silence, their still-rapid breathing the only sound in the room, before he turned his head and noticed Justin doing the same, both of them gazing at each other as if they were both trying to still convince themselves that they were, indeed, back together again after what was realistically a relatively short time apart, but to them had seemed more like an eternity. 

 

 

As if reading his mind, Justin was the first to speak.  "I…I can't believe that you're really here," he murmured, slightly shaking his head.

 

 

Brian grinned, turning just enough toward Justin to kiss him softly on the lips as he leaned over him.  "Well, I am. Give me a few minutes, and I'll be glad to prove it to you again…and again…and again…"

 

 

Justin chuckled as he pushed Brian down onto his back, and draped his right leg over the other boy's, placing his head and his hand, palm down, on his chest as Brian's chin rested on top of the now wet, dark-blond mop of hair.  Brian's hand curled around Justin's shoulder as he hugged him close, sighing in contentment.  All his anxiety from the past week – and the feelings of concern about leaving his aunt and uncle – seemed to melt away instantly as he held Justin in his arms. 

 

 

It was quiet in the room for a few moments, the only sound coming from a tacky, black-and-white tuxedo cat clock with back-and-forth eyes that was displayed over the top of the dresser – before Brian's chatterbox couldn't hold his curiosity back any longer. "Brian?" 

 

 

Brian smiled; Justin had actually shown admirable restraint before he had spoken; at least, considering how he normally was.  "Hmm?"

 

 

Justin didn't dare get his hopes up too much, but he had clearly heard what Debbie had said earlier…hadn't he?  "Debbie introduced you as her newest tenant."  He could feel Brian nod his head. 

 

 

"You heard right, Farm Boy." 

 

 

Justin's heart began to pound over Brian's words as he pulled back just enough to be able to look Brian in the eyes.  "So this isn't just a visit?"  He asked, peering into his eyes.  He held his breath.  _Please let me be right…_   "You're not just here on a visit?" 

 Brian grinned.  "Nope. Not unless you call the next four years a _visit_." 

 

Justin's face broke out into such a radiant, blinding smile then that Brian wondered why he had never come up with the 'Sunshine' moniker himself.  "You mean that…that…?" 

 

 

Brian nodded.  "Yeah.  I'm going to be a student at Vanderbilt, too." 

 

 

Justin was stunned.  "But…but _how_?" All of a sudden, his eyes narrowed as Brian's words registered. "All this time you knew you were coming here, too, and you didn't tell me? You asshole!" he growled, struggling to break free of the other boy's embrace. But Brian refused to let him go, so after several seconds he stopped struggling, using the only weapon at his disposal:  his words.  "All this time, you made me think that you and I wouldn't be…"  He glared at Brian as he placed two fingers over his lips to stop his tirade from proceeding any further.

 

 

"Calm down,, Justin!  Listen to me, will you?  _Will_ you?" he repeated louder, keeping his fingers pressed against Justin's mouth.  A roll of the eyes was the only promise he had that Justin would allow him to explain as he assured him, "I didn't know I was going to be a student until yesterday morning. Give me a little credit here!"

 

 

He knew as soon as he removed his fingers that Justin would start back up where he had left off, and he didn't disappoint him.  "What in the fuck are you talking about?" he scoffed.  "How in the hell could you not know?" 

 

 

Brian sighed, placing his hand at the back of Justin's neck to keep him close.  "I was on the wait list, trying to get into the College of Arts and Sciences for their marketing and economics program.  I didn't think I had a snowball's chance in hell of being accepted, though, since class was starting up in a week and my grades were pretty much for shit in high school.  I had managed to get some of my professors to write letters of recommendation for me, but I had pretty much lost hope. That is, until I got an email yesterday morning, telling me a spot had opened up in the freshman class…so here I am!"

 

 

Justin was quiet for a moment as he processed what Brian had just said.  "Yesterday morning…You were on the wait list?" 

 

 

Brian nodded with a smile, relieved that Justin was finally beginning to understand.  "Yeah.  I had hoped that by some crazy miracle I might still get in somehow, so I…I paid Vic's sister to hold the room open for me for the first semester so she wouldn't rent it out to anyone else."

 

 

Justin's eyes grew wide.  "You paid for a room you didn't even know you might need?"  Justin shook his head.  "You took a big chance, Brian." 

 

 

"Well, you can't win anything if you don't place a bet, right?  And I was betting that things would work out, and that we could be able to room in the same place," he explained.  "And I was betting…" he averted his eyes, feeling awkward.  "Shit," he murmured, feeling like a fish out of water. How did this boy always pry things out of him that he normally would never say?  "I was betting on love, damn it!" he told him finally as Justin smiled back at him with that dazzling smile again.  He decided he liked being the cause of that smile.  "And I came up the winner." 

 

 

Justin flung himself into his arms, wrapping his hands around Brian's back as he rested his head in the crook of Brian's neck. "No, we _both_ came up winners," he whispered.  After a moment, he pulled back to meet Brian's lips for a kiss that left them thoroughly winded afterward as they stared deeply into his other's eyes.

 

 

"Well, you still wasted your money, even if you DID get admitted to Vandy," Justin informed him smugly. 

 

 

Brian grinned, thinking he knew where this line of reasoning was heading.  "Oh, I did, did I?"  Justin nodded his head.  "And how do you arrive at THAT conclusion, Sunshine?" 

 

 

"Because you won't be needing that room…and my bed is a lot bigger than yours."

 

 

Justin squeaked as Brian tackled him to the bed, pinning him to the mattress.  His eyes sparkled as Brian smiled down at him.  "You know…for someone who came from a farm, you're pretty damn smart.  After all, you made me fall in love with you."

 

 

"It was a foregone conclusion from the first day you met me."

 

 

Brian chuckled.  "With or without clothes?"

 

 

Justin blushed.  "Well…I admit the day at the swimming hole was a lot more…revealing…than the day I was painting that fence with Jared."

 

 

His legs entwined with his lover's, Brian nodded. "Won't get any argument out of me," he admitted with a smile, before his face dissolved into something more intense.  "Whatever you say... the day I met you will always be the day I won the lottery. And I couldn't have won a better prize." 

 

 

"Prize, huh?" Justin replied, reaching up to tenderly tuck some hair away from Brian's forehead behind his ear.  "You make me sound like one of your aunt's blue-ribbon pies at the county fair." 

 

 

"Oh, you're much better than that," he told him, leaning down to steal another kiss before the two turned on their sides to face each other.  "And I'm never letting you go." 

 

 

Justin flushed at the other boy's words as he told him, "Me, neither."  Brian may have managed to tame a wild stallion back home, he decided.  But he had tamed the wildest stallion of all.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Epilogue – Day before Thanksgiving_ – _Walker Farm_

 

 

"Missy, will you please sit down?  He'll be here when he gets here.  You're wearing a hole in the floor," Will chided his wife in amusement.  Perched in their rocking chair, he reached for his father's familiar pipe on the table next to him – only to sheepishly remember he had finally put it away in the closet a few weeks ago as a promise to his wife to stop smoking after she had tearfully begged him to rid himself of that 'life-shortening, filthy habit,' as she had so eloquently put it.  Knowing his wife was already feeling quite melancholy over their nephew's absence, he had felt compelled to do as she had asked, but it was times like these – when he was secretly feeling just as anxious as she was to see their nephew – that he wished he had never promised her he would quit.

 

 

Sarah sighed heavily as she finally plopped down on the living room couch.  She had started out in the kitchen earlier, but as the time wore on, Will had persuaded her to come with him into the living room, where he had a robust wood fire crackling in the fireplace.  The day before Thanksgiving had arrived with a biting cold snap, one that had promised the hint of a snowy, long winter.  And after some convincing, Will had insisted she come and sit down with him in front of the warmth, explaining that she would know soon enough when Brian arrived.  After all, out of all the words they had come to define their nephew with, quiet and subtle wasn't one of them. They would know by the banging of the back door – and Solomon's boisterous baying from out back – that they had a visitor. A very special visitor.

 

 

They had kept in regular contact with their nephew, who seemed happy as a clam now that he and Justin were both students at the same school, and were practically 'attached to the hip,' as Debbie liked to describe them.  Both of them had missed Brian greatly in their own ways, and were looking forward to seeing him again for the first time since he had so abruptly left for school the day he learned he had, at last, been accepted as a student.  Will, however, as usual did a better job of hiding it. But Sarah knew. She knew she hadn't been the only one who had missed him, and not just because of his mechanical wizardry. 

 

 

"You know he'll stop at the Taylors first to drop off Justin and Vic's sister," Will pointed out. 

 

 

Sarah nodded.  "Yes, Brian told me that. But he said he thought he'd get here over an hour ago! What could be taking him so long?  I'm going to walk over to Jennifer and Craig's house to see if they have heard anything." 

 

 

"You will do no such thing, Sarah Walker.  Brian is a man now; he can more than take care of himself.  I'm sure traffic is heavier than Walt Cravens' prize heifer right now.  Give him time." 

 

 

Sarah couldn't help rolling her eyes at her husband's odd comparison, but nonetheless she did as she was told, finally reaching to pick up her crocheting lying next to her on the couch – only to bolt off the couch the moment she heard the sound of a vehicle coming up the road, and Solomon letting forth with a volley of excited barks and bellows.  "That's him!" she shouted, jumping to her feet and hurrying down the hallway toward the back door, flinging it open just in time to see Brian open the SUV's driver's side door and shut it behind him, a wide grin on his face as he spied her.

 

  
"Aunt Sarah!" he shouted at her as she scampered down the steps at breakneck speed and ran headlong into his open arms, almost knocking the wind out of him as he laughed over her exuberance.

 

 

"You always were stronger than you looked," Brian teased her as they finally pulled slightly away from each other.  He peered down at her to ask, "Have you gained a little weight?  I know I did when I was here after eating all of your good cooking…although Debbie's a close second."     

 

 

"Why, I am the same weight I was when you left!" she insisted, flustered.  "You know I always tried to cook you healthy food…within reason." 

 

 

Brian laughed at the indignant look on his aunt's face.  "Relax, Aunt Sarah. I was only teasing you," he assured her, looking up as his uncle appeared by her side.  "Uncle Will.  It's good to see you again, Sir." 

 

 

Will shook the hand that Brian offered him, nodding with a half-smile.  "You're looking good, Brian," he decided, noting the way his nephew carried himself.  Gone was the initial cockiness and arrogance he used to display when they had first met; now he noticed their nephew was more confident and self-assured; he didn't have to try so hard to impress anyone now.  "I think college agrees with you," he added.  "Come in the house and warm up; you can tell us all about it." 

 

 

"Okay. But…"

 

 

His aunt and uncle frowned.  "Is something wrong, Brian?" Sarah asked him.

 

 

"No," he assured her with a smile.  "It's just that…well…Justin's mom wanted to know if you and Uncle Will might like to celebrate Thanksgiving with them tomorrow over at their house. She said there'll be plenty of room, if we spread out.  She said you used to do that together every year…before…"  He let his words trail off there, knowing that Dale's name would be automatically inserted there.  He had found out that both houses had had a long-standing tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving together, alternating being the hosting house every other year, until Dale's tragic death had cast such a pall over the Walkers that they didn’t have the heart to celebrate anything.  Now he was hoping he could change that – and also spend more time with Justin.  Despite the two of them being together every possible moment they could now, he could never have his fill of being with him. 

 

 

Sarah peered over at her husband, noticing a firm set to his jaw, signaling he was reliving, at least temporarily, that distressing time.  "He's right, William," she reminded him softly.  "Those were good times back then." 

 

 

William swallowed hard before nodding.  "Yes. Yes, they were."  His wife and nephew stood there for several seconds, slightly shivering in the cold, November air, before he seemed to come to a decision.  "Well?  Just because we'll be heading over to the Taylors tomorrow for Thanksgiving doesn't mean we have to stand out here freezing to death!  I have a fire started inside; let's go back in the house, and hear all about college life." 

 

 

Brian grinned, anticipating the holiday tomorrow, but still held back as his aunt and uncle turned toward the house.  "I'll be right there," he promised. "But first I have to go say hello…to an old friend." 

 

 

Will and Sarah nodded, knowing precisely who Brian was referring to. 

 

 

"You _are_ keeping him exercised?" he asked, glancing over toward the stables as he heard a whinny, wondering if somehow True Blue knew he was back for a few days.

 

 

Sarah gripped Will's arm before he could respond with an indignant retort she knew he would regret later.  "Of course, Honey. Eddie is very faithful about taking him out every day.  He's much more content now – thanks to you and Eddie exercising him – but Will and I ultimately decided not to let him race again. We're hoping someday, though, that we'll see an offspring of his on the track. Eddie is certainly hoping so," she added with a laugh.

 

 

Brian nodded.  "I'm glad," he told her.  He would have felt inordinately guilty if Dale's horse had been left to languish in his stall, or spend the rest of his days not-so-serenely grazing out in the pasture, all because he had given up exercising him in exchange for being with Justin. He knew True Blue was just a horse. But he wasn't just any horse.  He was one of the last living legacies of his cousin.   He owed his aunt and uncle so much; seeing that Dale's horse was well taken care of – thanks in large part to Vic's suggestion – had been a major responsibility taken from his shoulders, and had allowed him to pursue his education, and most importantly, be with the boy he had come to love so deeply. 

 

 

"Brian?" his aunt called out as he peered over at her questioningly. 

 

 

"Wait up a second," she told him, as she hurried into the house, coming back in a minute or two with two apples clutched in her hands.  Brian grinned as she exclaimed, "Catch!", and he deftly caught both apples one at a time like a seasoned fielder.  "You know he'll expect it," she told him as he nodded with a smile.  Yes, that horse would almost sulk if he showed up without any treats.  "Why don’t you take him out for a little while?  I think he'd love that, and Eddie hasn't exercised him today yet." 

 

 

Brian nodded with pleasure at the idea.  "Okay.  Uhh…do you know if Headstrong has been out today, too?" 

 

 

Sarah grinned as Will rolled his eyes.  She knew he was wondering if Brian ever thought about anyone else except a certain boy. But they both knew he did; he was just 'besotted,' as Will called it.   No one really used that word anymore; no one except her old-fashioned husband. But it certainly fit. They couldn't dispute Brian's dedication to his schooling, however; that hadn't suffered.  Brian was making excellent grades in school, and often passed onto them frequent words of praise from his professors. That didn't really surprise Sarah at all, however; even from the beginning, both she and Will knew that Brian was an intelligent young man. He just needed the proper guidance – and love – to develop his full potential. 

 

 

"Why don't you go find out?" she suggested with a wink.   "Lunch will be ready in about an hour.  And don't ask if Justin can join us, either," she added as Brian scowled at her.  "You know he's welcome, but you also know his parents will want to spend time with him, too.  You'll see him again tomorrow," she reminded him as Brian nodded glumly.

 

 

"If not sooner," Will muttered under his breath with a sigh, as Sarah tried not to laugh.  She knew there was a good likelihood of that. Did these boys ever get tired of each other? They certainly didn't seem to. 

 

 

"Okay," Brian agreed grudgingly. His face brightened somewhat, however, when he realized that just because he couldn't have Justin over for lunch didn't mean they couldn't see each other right now.  "I'll be back in time, Aunt Sarah!" he told her, hurrying toward the stables to let True Blue out of his stall, so he could ride him over to the Taylors' house and see if Justin could 'come out and play.' He grinned. Now that he and Justin were living in the same residence together – hell, in the same room together – they did a lot of 'playing.'  And 'coming.'  And he couldn't be happier.

 

 

* * *

 

 

_Ten Minutes Later – Taylors' Practice Track_

Justin laughed as he pulled off his racing helmet, his hair sweaty and plastered to his head and his breathing labored.  He had forgotten how exhilarating it had always felt to feel the wind against his face, and hear the regular, furious, clop-clop-clop of Headstrong's hooves as he raced around the track at breakneck speed.  This time, while Brian and True Blue had put up a gallant effort, there had been no doubt as to the outcome of this encounter:  they had been neck-and-neck at first, but it hadn't taken long for Justin to pull away and stay out in front.  "I told you that was beginner's luck before!" he boasted as Brian jumped down from True Blue's sulky and pulled his own helmet off.

 

 

"Oh, it was, was it?" Brian countered as he walked over to the other boy, who grinned back at him and lifted his eyebrows at him expectantly.  "Well, you know what I'm going to do?" he told him, now inches separating them. 

 

 

Justin's eyes twinkled.  "No!" he played along.  "What are you going to do?"

 

 

"I'm going to wipe that smug grin right off your face, Taylor." 

 

 

Justin clapped his hand over his lips in mock horror.  "You are?"  Brian grinned as he came even closer, pulling Justin's hand away from his lips to grip it tightly by his side. 

 

 

"Yeah, I am," Brian told him, everything and everyone fading in the background. 

 

 

Justin sighed heavily.  "Well, I guess I'll just have to take my punishment like a man, then," he responded, waggling his eyebrows and making Brian's crotch tighten as thoughts of Justin doing just that in their bed last night came to mind.  He was finding that a particularly productive Justin at school during the day oddly made for a particularly horny Justin at night…but he certainly wasn't complaining. 

 

 

"Good answer," he told his lover with a chuckle, as he let go of Justin's hand to slide his arms around his waist and pull him closer; he pressed his lips to his, both mouths opening instinctively to deepen the kiss, as Justin's hands came up to link behind Brian's neck. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

"Ahh…Young love," Vic proclaimed poetically as he and his sister Debbie observed the two boys kissing from their place in front of his trailer's kitchen window; they were presently working on a couple of dishes for tomorrow's feast, Debbie having been invited to come along for the celebration.  Emmett was also somewhere about, probably out by the fence near the cows, since it was their typical feeding time. "I see some things haven't changed since they left here."

 

 

Debbie chortled.  "Well, one thing changed.  I now have three boarders instead of two.  Good for my pocketbook, but it's the first time I've been able to do that." She continued to watch them make out, hands roaming all over each other as they broke off their kiss, only to start on another one.  "They sure do have it bad for each other.  Why didn't you just tell me they were more than 'neighbor boys,' as you put it?" 

 

 

Vic grinned as he returned to chopping up some celery for the dressing.  "Come on, Sis! What would have been the fun in that? Besides, I knew it wouldn't take you long to figure it out.   And I'm sure they're good tenants, aren't they?  You can't argue that."

 

 

"Well, that's one good thing about them staying in the same room," she told him.  "I've discovered that Sunshine is a bit of a slob, but Brian's downright anal about everything in its place.  Justin drops things where they are, and then Brian comes along and puts them away."  She cackled.  "It's kind of like having a teenage version of the Odd Couple!"  She peered back through the window to see them finally break apart and come up for air.  "But you're right; they're both good kids," she confirmed as he nodded in agreement.  "Now I just need a little more insulation between their bedroom and mine.  Those kids have stamina with a capital S!  You know they fucking go at it three, even four times some nights, and still get up to go to class?  Don’t know how they do it. But they're both on the Dean's list so far this semester."  She smiled as she watched them leading the horses over to the stable to cool them down.  "And yes.  They are definitely in love.  Anyone can see that."  She leaned over to give her brother a kiss on the cheek.  "You old sentimental queen," she uttered as Vic shrugged, returning to his celery chopping as he hid a grin.  

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Craig and Jennifer rocked slowly back and forth on their back porch swing, their view presently hiding the two boys' activities. But it didn't take much to figure out what they were doing.

 

 

Craig sighed.  "Jen…"

 

 

"Craig, you promised."

 

 

They continued to rock back and forth, a creak resounding with each motion.  "By the way, we need to oil this swing," she commented, her husband's arm curled around her shoulder as his fingers tightened imperceptibly.

 

 

"Jen…" he started again. 

 

 

"Craig…"

 

 

Craig peered over at his wife and rolled his eyes as she smiled serenely back at him.  "Jen, you know they aren't racing anymore back there.  Lord knows _what_ they're doing." 

 

 

Jen nodded.  "Yes, Craig.  It's called courting.  Spooning.  Making out.  The same thing you and I did when we were around the same age, remember?  You're not _that_ old," she teased him, trying to get a smile out of him.  But she wasn't quite successful.   "Craig, you said you accepted their relationship.  You can't deny that Brian treats him like a king." 

 

 

Craig grunted.  "I guess," he conceded as Jennifer peered at him pointedly.  "Okay, yeah, I know that.  I just thought it might be a good idea for them to have a little time apart, that's all. And now they're in college together?  Jen, how will our son ever learn independence by constantly having Brian with him?" 

 

 

"Do you think of me that way, Craig?"  She stopped their back-and-forth motion to stare over at him. 

 

 

"What way?" he asked. 

 

 

"Like some dependent, clingy housewife who can't make a decision on her own, or think for herself." 

 

 

Craig's eyes flashed in irritation.  "Of course not!"

 

 

"Well, I’m glad to hear that," she told him dryly.  "So what's the difference?" 

 

 

Craig rubbed his hand over his face.  "He's just so young, Jennifer." 

 

 

"Try another argument.  Young doesn’t always equal maturity. And I happen to think that Justin is quite mature for his age.  Don't forget he had to grow up pretty fast when times were tough for us."  Things had improved tremendously since Craig had found his new job, and even Jared was contributing somewhat to the household income.  But before it had been mainly Justin – with a little help from her honey business, which was now also thriving, thanks in large part to her revamped website – who had kept them afloat, and both of them knew that.  She figured it didn't hurt to remind her husband, however. 

 

 

"I haven't forgotten, Jen," he told her quietly, still feeling a little awkward as well as embarrassed that their youngest son had had to take on such a burden.  He considered her words carefully.  She was right. Justin was young. But he had good judgment, and had known long before they had that Brian was not what he appeared.  He was even convinced that Justin had helped the Walkers' nephew to become a better young man than even he was aware he could be.  "All right," he finally conceded.  "I see your point.  Let's just hope they don't play footsie or something worse under the table at Thanksgiving supper tomorrow.  Can we at least seat them across from each other? Or better yet, at the opposite ends of the table?" 

 

 

He couldn't help grinning as Jennifer laughed at his suggestion.  "Honey, I don't think there is such a thing as 'far enough' with them."

 

 

 

Craig huffed at the truth in his wife's statement.  "You can say that again."  He shook his head before he reached over to clasp Jen's hand in his and resume their rocking motion. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

_The Next Day – Mid-Day – Windswept Farm_

The morning sun rose in a cloudless sky, promising a warm, late fall day entirely different from the frigid day before.  With so many people attending Thanksgiving dinner at the Taylor residence – including Jared, Emmett, Debbie, and Vic, not to mention Brian and his aunt and uncle – it would have been an extremely tight squeeze in the house, and they would have had to put guests not only in the kitchen but in the living room as well.  Far from anyone's idea of an ideal setup.

 

 

But Justin had come up with the inspired idea of having their Thanksgiving dinner outside in the fenced-in backyard, instead, since the temperature was supposed to rise into the mid-70's by meal time.  So here they were after retrieving their food from inside the house, buffet style, seated at three, rectangular-sized fold-up tables normally stored in the barn, along with some white, wooden chairs that had been stored up in the loft ever since Justin's parents had wed outside under the old apple orchard.  Large bowls of bright, red apples, cornucopia, and fall flowers in several vases lining the center provided a festive air. 

 

 

Jennifer grinned over at Craig as she noticed Brian and Justin sitting side-by-side at the next table, Justin smacking Brian's hand as he tried to steal a corn muffin from his plate.  Craig sighed in resignation, knowing nothing short of moving heaven and earth would separate them. He still didn't know if it was healthy.  But he knew there was no stopping it.  He had to admit, both boys seemed deliriously happy at the moment, broad, goofy grins on both their faces as Justin picked up a leaf that had blown off the large, oak tree above them and lightly dragged it across Brian's face to tickle him.  He heard his youngest son let forth with a cross between a giggle and a shriek; he had no idea what had caused it, but he did know WHO had to have caused it. 

 

 

 

Over the excited voices of those seated at the tables, Will rose to stand and bang his fork against his glass of sweet tea, creating just enough racket to produce a hush over the multitude of friends and family gathered together to celebrate Thanksgiving.  All eyes peered over at him as he cleared his throat.  He wasn't a very glib man – nor was he prone to making speeches – but something today compelled him just the same to speak.  He glanced down at his wife, who smiled up at him encouragingly, before he began to talk.  "I'd like to say just a few things if that's all right," he told the others as he shifted his weight slightly, seeing Craig and Jennifer nod their agreement.  "I'm not much for fancy words, or makin' speeches," he began, his hands feeling clammy from nervousness.  "But I figure Thanksgiving is as good a time as any to say what I want to say." 

 

 

He gazed out onto the faces of so many individuals during the past couple of years who had helped both him and his wife face their most difficult time – the death of their son – and had helped them to persevere and recall some of their happier times with him.  Memories of those times would always be bittersweet and tinged with 'what ifs.'  But now while they could reflect back on the time they had spent with their son, he and Sarah had also found a way to look forward to what lay ahead. And all mainly due to another young man who had shown up right when he was needed, almost as if Fate had interceded.  Perhaps it had; for not only for he and Sarah, but also for a troubled youth who needed a little guidance to show him what his life could really become. 

 

 

He felt Sarah reach up and squeeze his knee as if to remind him of the present as he nodded down at her and wet his lips.  "I'd like to thank Jennifer and Craig first of all for hosting this amazing-looking meal.  I know I will regret how much I am about to eat," he commented, as several chuckled in understanding, "…but everything looks too good to pass up.  And I'd also like to thank my wife for putting up with me when I didn't deserve it."  He looked down at her, whispering, "Missy, I am one lucky man," making her blush and shake her head as if she were objecting to that. For SHE felt like the lucky one. 

 

 

"I'd also like to thank Emmett and Vic, who have helped to keep our farm running these past few weeks whenever Sarah and I needed an extra hand.  And I'd like to thank the good Lord for all this bounty before us.  We are truly blessed in a lot of ways, and I never want to forget that."  There were murmurings and nods of agreement among the group before they once more quieted down.

 

 

He paused as he peered over at Brian, who was silently staring back at him, his shoulder lightly touching Justin's as they sat much closer than necessary, but also seeming to always need that connection between them.  "Most of all, though…I'd like to thank my nephew, who managed to breathe new life into this tired, old man, and make him believe in a reason for living again."  Brian found himself blinking back tears, along with a few others, as Justin squeezed his hand under the table. 

 

 

Will gazed upward into the bright, blue sky for a moment before he swallowed hard.  "And I'd like to say thank you to our son, Dale.  Son, I hope you're up there giving them a race for their lives!  And I know you're beating the pants off them, too," he added, earning a few chuckles from the others.  "Just save us a spot in the grandstands, Son.  We'll be right up there cheering you on one day."  He heard a sniffle next to him as he looked down at his wife, tears in her eyes.  One escaped to trickle down her cheek as he reached down and gently wiped it away before clearing his throat.  He took a deep breath.  "And now, I say...let's enjoy this wonderful bounty."  He slowly sat down then as everyone nodded. 

 

 

 

A slight, awkward silence prevailed until Jennifer spoke up as she teased, "Remember, no dessert until everyone tries my new butternut squash mac and cheese dish.  I had to do _something_ with all that squash!" she explained, looking pointedly over at her oldest son, who had his standard favorites on his plate:  turkey with dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, fried corn, and a large, homemade roll slathered with butter.  A groan escaped Jared's lips as she looked over at her oldest son with a smile and told him, "And I've made your favorite, too:  peanut butter pie." 

 

 

"Mom! That is so not fair!" Jared grumbled as everyone laughed, breaking the tension. He glared at her until he sighed with a roll of his eyes.  "Whatever.  I'm sure it will be my holiday favorite from now on.  I would _love_ some," he told her in a falsetto voice. 

 

 

Jennifer laughed.  "Oh, come on! Even _I_ know better than that!  I'll settle for a few bites," she told him as he sighed in relief.  Sitting next to him, she took her spoon and pushed a small amount onto his plate.  "There you go.  Baby steps." 

 

 

Justin snickered at Jared's immature display.  "Some things never change," he murmured under his breath. Jared always HAD been a big baby when it came to trying anything new. 

 

 

"I heard that, Squirt!" Jared told him, promptly launching a roll in his direction.  He scowled as Justin deftly caught it and took a big bite out of it, some of the butter oozing out of the bread.  Brian couldn't resist reaching over with his finger and wiping it off the corner of Justin's mouth before putting his finger between his own lips to suck it off. 

 

 

 

Another clearing of the throat – this time from Craig - made Justin blush, while Brian merely shrugged and then smiled at him.  Craig couldn't help shaking his head in amusement, resigned to life – at least for the foreseeable future – with both of these boys together.  Justin could have chosen a lot worse, he decided, as he peered over at his wife, who leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek for 'playing nice.'  He grinned at her then, lifting up his sweet tea to take a sip as the tables resumed their constant hum of conversation and clinking of silverware against the china plates as everyone continued their meal. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Much later, Brian and Justin lay side-by-side on a blanket up on the hillside, gazing up at the endless, starry sky.  Everyone else had long ago retired to bed, leaving the two boys alone. 

 

 

"You know, I think your father is starting to warm up to me," Brian stated.  "He only looked like he wanted to kill me once today; that's an improvement.  And he let us sit together at the table." 

 

 

"He doesn't hate you, Brian.  My father just takes a while to warm up to anybody.  Remember, I'm his little baby boy."

 

 

Brian snickered.  "You need to tell your father there's nothing little about you."  He reached down to briefly give Justin's cock a squeeze, hearing him gasp at the touch. 

 

 

"Stop that!  Give me a little time to recover here, or my ass will be sore for the next week!  I have exams, remember?" 

 

 

Brian grinned.  "I'll give you a prostate exam, free of charge." 

 

 

"You already have!  Several times already!"   

 

 

Brian chuckled as they lay there quietly for a few moments before he spoke again. "Do you miss it?"  he asked unexpectedly. 

 

 

Justin turned his head to peer over at him, his boyfriend's eyes reflecting off the starlight above, and his skin almost glowing.  "Miss what?" 

 

 

Brian nudged his chin upward slightly.  "All this.  The quiet.  The sounds you hear.  The train whistle off in the distance." 

 

 

Justin smiled.  "You remember that?" 

 

 

Brian reached to clasp his hand in his, their fingers intertwining.  "Are you kidding?  I remember everything about you.  You're kind of unforgettable."  

 

 

Justin grinned.  "Oh, I am, am I?  I seem to recall a short memory lapse a while back when you were smitten with Jared instead of me."

 

 

 

Brian smirked.  "A temporary lapse in judgment," he called it as Justin snorted.  "VERY temporary…and that was a long time ago," he reminded him as Justin nodded, satisfied.  Brian's cocky grin was replaced with a more serious one as he told the younger boy, "I would never revisit that again. Why would I when I have _you_?  And you didn't answer the question, Sunshine." 

 

 

Justin's grinned; since they had been attending classes at Vanderbilt – and Debbie had bestowed that nickname on him – Brian had begun using that one more often than Farm Boy, because with the exception of this brief period back home, they hadn't set foot back on a farm in some time.  "In a way," he admitted after a few seconds as he listened to all the familiar sounds surrounding them, and the smells that he had come to know from all the years he had lived here.  He would always have a special place in his heart for this farm. And he hoped that once his parents were gone it would remain in the family. He would do everything he could to make sure that happened.  He noticed Brian listening quietly as he added, "But I can always come back here, just like we did for Thanksgiving…and I'm excited about the future, Brian.  A future with _you_." 

 

 

"Well, I could always entertain you with a few stanzas of "Shine On, Harvest Moon" for old-time's sake, if you want," Brian suggested, tongue in cheek.

 

 

Justin laughed as he twisted his body on his side to face Brian, their interlocked hands between them.  "Oh, please don't!  You can't carry a tune in a bucket!"  Brian glared at him as Justin added, "You were plastered on Dale's moonshine, remember?  How could you even know _how_ you sounded?  Trust me, you made a wise choice when you didn't major in music." 

 

 

"Hey!" Brian huffed in mock indignation. 

 

 

Justin grinned.  "Maybe you could attempt karaoke. If the soundtrack is loud enough, and enough people are wasted," he added hastily.  "But please don't serenade me ever again.  Or attempt to tip a heifer, either." 

 

 

Brian smiled.  "Ahh…the era of my misinformed youth.  Well, as I recall, at least I got a kiss out of it eventually, so it wasn't all bad...well, after I scaled the fence, anyway, to escape that bull chasing me."

 

 

Justin laughed; he recalled that night fondly.  He had thought he would need to give Brian some CPR, but a certain boy had taken advantage of his generosity, instead.  Not that he was complaining.  "Well, at least you ARE a good kisser, even if you're a terrible singer." 

 

 

"Will you stop with the insults already?" Brian groused as Justin turned his body enough to lie halfway on top of him, his eyes sparkling under the dense starlight.  "Keep it up, and I'll move back into my own bedroom."

 

 

"No, you won't," Justin argued.  "Debbie's already rented it out. And besides, you would miss the sex too much." 

 

 

"Oh, really?" Brian countered.  "I could go out to one of the bars back at Vandy, and pick up another guy in ten seconds flat," he boasted. 

 

 

Justin frowned in uncertainty.  "You wouldn't ever do that…would you?" 

 

 

Brian sighed in exasperation; even after all this time, could Justin still have doubts about the two of them?  "Justin, why would I ever want to do that?" he asked softly.  "I have YOU."  Justin blushed…until Brian added, "You're a lot handier than some random guy."  Justin's mouth opened in disgust until Brian laughed.  "You are so gullible, College Boy."  He gazed into Justin's eyes as the blond pulled back to stare into his face.  "There IS no one else, Justin. And there never _will_ be.  I love you, you idiot.  I'm afraid you're stuck with me; I'm not going anywhere. I will be your constant shadow until the day you become a withered, old man and eventually die." 

 

 

Justin laughed.  "How comforting!"  His face turned more serious as he replied, "I just wanted to make sure.  Because you're not getting rid of me, either.  You'll need someone to take care of you when you get old before me."  He giggled as Brian tickled him, twisting their bodies so that he was lying on top of Justin as he pinned him against the blanket. 

 

 

"I'll show you old!" Brian retorted as he leaned down to give Justin a deep kiss. He pulled back to gaze into the trusting, blue eyes, his breath catching at the beauty beneath him.  How much had happened since that first day they had met by that fence!  But he wouldn't change a day, an hour, a minute…except for the time when Justin had been in danger.  He couldn't help shuddering at the recollection. 

 

 

"Cold?" Justin asked, noticing.  They were actually dressed at the moment; a change from earlier when they had made love under the stars. Brian had found it disgustingly romantic, but he had told Justin he was 'indulging' him.  Justin knew better, of course. 

 

 

He shook his head, offering a reassuring smile.  "No, I'm fine," he told him.  "As long as I'm with you, I'll always be fine." 

 

 

Justin smiled.  "Me, too."  Brian pulled him into his arms and held him close, both of them silent for several seconds. 

 

 

"Brian?  You think it'll always be this way for us?" 

 

 

Brian reflected on that for a moment before he shook his head, surprising Justin until he explained, "No…it'll just keep getting better and better." 

 

 

Justin smiled, his eyes growing heavy with sleep. "I love you," he managed to whisper before slumber claimed him.  Brian smiled.  "Ditto, Sunshine," he murmured before he, too, closed his eyes and drifted off to the sounds of a rural lullaby. 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who faithfully stayed with me in between updates and read this story. A special thank you to those who left kudos and/or commented. It was greatly appreciated.


End file.
